The Boy from Balamb: Zell's Story
by Sorcha Zell
Summary: Part I- We all had to start somewhere- a biography of Zell, the boy from Balamb, his life from birth until he goes to Balamb Garden. Part II to come soon.
1. Early

Disclaimer (applies to all chapters of the story): FinalFantasyVIII and related concepts are property of Squaresoft. Future characters of Breezy, Charvin, Heyla, Gella, and Kem belong to Harper and are used with permission.

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The day, like this story, started the same as any other.

It was a blithe, lighthearted day in Fisherman's Horizon. The air was warm with a spring breeze, and the sharp smell of fish lingered in the early morning air. It was the kind of day when everybody's troubles seemed to melt away under the bright sunlight. It was unfortunate for Heidi that pregnancy wasn't a trouble of the melting-away variety. The date was March seventeenth, or more importantly, the six month mark of Heidi's pregnancy. Predictably, Rodney was nowhere to be found. He was nervous and unsure of what to do and how to act around his pregnant wife, so mostly he took to just staying out of her way. At the moment, he was probably off fishing or haunting the pub. So inconsiderate. It's likely that if Heidi hadn't been so preoccupied with Rodney's shortcomings, she wouldn't have stepped on a rut in the pier, and the whole thing wouldn't have happened the way it did. Heidi, unaware of the impending series of events, took a fateful step and faltered. Gravity seemed nonexistent for a moment, but a second later it returned, stronger than ever, and nothing could have stopped Heidi from plummeting into the brisk water. She felt the ocean's icy grip and flare of pain in her stomach. Trembling and shivering, she managed only a weak "H- help. . . P-please. . ." before everything went black.

Later, a doctor told Heidi that she had been lucky. In all honesty, a part of her would have liked to know how lucky _he'd_ feel if he were sliced open and sewn together again; however, deep-down she realized he was right. A whole slew of other things could have happened with each result unluckier than the next. Considering the circumstances of her premature baby boy's birth, they'd _both_ been pretty lucky to survive the ordeal. The baby was so tiny and fragile that he looked heartbreakingly small compared to the huge world around him. He was handsome as babies go, and his hair was clearly the same as his father's-- wisps of blonde hair with a funny little spiked cowlick in front. As much as his hair resembled his father's, though, his bright blue eyes were Heidi's. Despite all the similarities to his parents, his set of lungs was unique. He was screaming and bawling as loudly as he could. Granted, that wasn't very loud, but the effort was outstanding anyway. He'd clearly turn out to be a zealous child. Zealous, that had a nice ring to it. She'd just have to change it a little bit. . . The "ous" sounded too much like "Jealous", so scratch that, and maybe if the A was another L. . .? Zell? Yes, that was the perfect name for the little imp. _I wonder, my Zell, what the future has in store for you . . ._ Heidi thought as she drifted into an unsettled sleep.

A ring of energy surrounded Heidi. She was holding onto her baby for dear life, but there was another baby there also that seemed to be in danger of being swallowed up by the mysterious ring. Heidi knelt and picked up the infant with her left hand, still holding her own baby. The baby she had just cradled on her left squinted. It seemed to be sneering at her. Its eyes shone brightly for a moment, and when Heidi looked closer, its eyes were the same green as a cat's. Something flickered to Heidi's right, and she turned her attention to Zell. Looking closer, the left side of Zell's face was shining with a silvery light that faded to reveal a distinct design emblazoned there. There was a shimmer in the energy, and images flashed onto the walls of her perceived prison. Two children, merely twelve or thirteen stood facing each other in conflict. The smaller boy looked familiar to Heidi. She realized he had her Zell's eyes: questioning bright eyes that even she couldn't interpret. The taller boy's eyes were the eyes of a bully: scornful, derisive, and filled with anger, but at the same time filled with hurt. The image was replace with another, then another, then. . . The images were flashing too fast to keep up with now, faster and faster they raced around the ring, whirling together, forming a swirl of color and then a single tunnel of light. The sound of cruel laughter mixed with a high-pitched noise- then silence and whiteness overtook both.


	2. Problems

Disclaimer: No own nada, pero a mi me gusta escribir. Eventually Heyla, Gella, Kem, Charvin, and Breeza will be in this story and then I will again thank Harps.  
  
  
  
Heidi awoke with a start- her dream had been bizarre, that much she remembered. But the events of her dream had faded together and Heidi had become unsure there had been a strange dream at all. Hadn't the dream involved her Zell? Zell. Where was he? A nurse entered the small room carrying a clipboard. The nurse looked to be about twenty, and she had short dark hair framing a pixie-like face with a kind smile. None of this reassured Heidi, she was in a strange place with strange people and her baby was missing. Now that she thought of it, she didn't even have the slightest clue where she was other than the flag patch sewn onto the nurse's uniform. Heidi didn't recognize the flag, but it was dark grey square containing a light grey circle with the letter 'E' embroidered in green thread. She knew it wasn't FH's flag which made her wary- where had she been taken? And where had her Zell been taken?  
  
"My baby. . . he was here a minute ago-" Heidi told the nurse. "The tiny one with blue eyes? And the funny hair?" The nurse asked, not expecting an answer. "He was taken to another area- there were some. . . complications," she continued. Heidi, like any parent panicked when she heard the word complications. "Complications- but no, my Zell is fine he's perfect, I don't understand. . ." she trailed off. The nurse was used to mothers' certainty of their babies' perfection. "Well, I should let the doctor talk to you, so all I'll say is that your baby, his name was Zell-? You understand that due to his prematurity we needed to perform a Caesarean- section? Zell only weights about three and a half pounds. Most full-term babies weigh twice that," The nurse explained sympathetically. Heidi wasn't sure that she quite understood. "I'll let the doctor handle the rest, if you'll wait right here Doctor Xiam will be here shortly, alright?" The nurse kindly informed her. The nurse shifted her clipboard, then left the room and once again Heidi was alone. She stared at the ceiling for awhile, trying to calculate how many dots there were on each panel. Heidi then turned her attention to the mirror on the back of the door near the foot of the bed. She was pale and her light brown hair lay flat against her head. Heidi turned her head left, turned her head right and even pulled her hair back with her hand in an attempt to look like a mother. Oh well, if she couldn't look like a parent, she could act like one. It was more than Rodney was doing.  
  
There was a short knock, then the door opened slowly and a silver-haired man peered into the room. The man was slightly too young for the silver color to have been caused by age, so Heidi surmised that it must be his natural color. Immediately she knew where she was; the legendary Esthar so recently liberated from Adel's reign and now governed by a man named Loire. The mysterious flag clicked into place also- the only probable thing that "E" could stand for was Esthar. "Hello," the man said. "I'm Doctor Xiam, and I'm going to be dealing with you and your baby,"  
  
Truthfully, Heidi couldn't care less who he was other than that he could fix whatever the nurse seemed to think was wrong with her Zell. There was a tinge of denial in this last thought. Heidi was determined to maintain that it was something the doctors and nurses thought was wrong as opposed to something that might actually be wrong. The man began to talk again which put an abrupt end to Heidi's thoughts. "You may know that premature babies often have problems with underdeveloped lungs. I won't worry you about that, though, because Zell's lungs are sufficiently developed. About an hour ago, we noticed that Zell was developing a yellow color to his skin. We determined that it's Jaundice," Doctor Xiam informed her. Heidi had never given birth before and she wondered what Jaundice was. "Jaundice means that the baby has a high level of bilirubin in their blood," he explained, seeing Heidi's puzzlement. "A lot of babies become Jaundiced for a multitude of reasons. Some Jaundice is normal, caused by the baby's liver still needing to develop a little more," The doctor continued. Why is he telling me there's something wrong if Jaundice is perfectly normal? Heidi wondered. "However, we suspect that Zell's condition may be caused by ABO incompatibility. ABO incompatibility is usually caused when a mother's blood type is O and a babies blood type is A, B, or AB," The doctor explained. "The mother's blood creates antibodies that cross the placenta into the fetus' blood stream and they start to destroy the blood cells there," Hearing this, Heidi immediately starting to blame herself and came to the conclusion that the Badamb fish she had accidently eaten during her fourth month was the cause of all Zell's problems. In actuality, all that the bad fish had done was give Heidi a painful stomach ache, but she desperately needed something to blame.  
  
"Is my baby going to die?" Heidi asked, her face furrowing into a concerned frown. Doctor Xiam smiled understandingly and reassured her. "First we'll try phototherapy with bililights to see if we can get the level of bilirubin in Zell's blood to decrease. If that doesn't work, we may have to perform a blood transfusion. It could cause some minor pain to Zell, but it certainly shouldn't result in anything permanent. Brain damage is unlikely, and anemia isn't probable either," All Heidi heard were the words 'pain' 'brain damage' and 'anemia'. She was sure her baby would be damaged for life and it was all her fault.  
  
Author's note: First of all it's fun to use the term author. Second of all, as much as I researched for this chapter I'm not positive that everything is one-hundred percent accurate, so bear with me. Just for future reference- thank Hyne it's spring break, but I know that as soon as it ends the updates will be slower. :)  
  
~ If stories were as precious as jewels or rings, reviews would make us all rich as kings~ - I made that up :) 


	3. Runaway

Disclaimer: The paperwork that declares me owner of FinalFantasyVIII hasn't come through yet, but we can still hope. Thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far, especially Harps.

  
  
  
  


They told her it was nothing major. They told her that her baby wouldn't be in pain. They told her lots of things. She couldn't trust them.

  
  


Heidi shuffled down the bright hallway, hospital slippers making a muffled rustle beneath her feet. The medical complex was cold and impersonal- the sterile environment may have been healthy for the body, but it couldn't have been good for the soul. Couldn't be good for the mood, either. Heidi was lagging and lethargic- she didn't seem to be able to lift her spirits at all. Her baby was sick and her husband- who knows where. Time was passing by sluggishly and it dragged on in a sickening fashion. Wake up, eat, sleep, visit Zell, eat, sleep. . . and the cycle continued. Two days took an eternity. An eternity for nothing? Her baby had been treated with phototherapy and bililights for the past two days without result. So tiny, her little Zell. Barely three pounds. . . Pandemona sail him through the sky- it seemed like the wind could easily pick him up and carry him far away. Heidi almost giggled. If that happened she'd end up alone again.

  
  


The room was the same room that she had come back to for two days now. A small tray of food had been left on the bed-side table. Bland food; the tray held vanilla pudding, rice, and fish. Heidi was going stir-crazy. Or just crazy. She poked a fork at the rice and hesitantly brought it up to her mouth. The rice never made it past her lips. The pudding was rejected as well and the fish would not be eaten under any circumstances. It had been the fault of bad fish that her baby was sick, hadn't it? Heidi would rather starve than eat the cause of all her problems. The tray was carried into the bathroom and the food spooned carefully into the porcelain bowl where it was promptly flushed. Heidi was smart enough to know that if the doctors discovered she wasn't eating, they would watch to make sure that she did and Heidi was not about to eat their poison fish. It was the waiting that was nerve-racking.

Heidi was busy staring at the wall when Doctor Xiam opened the door. He had a strange quirky look on his face as he opened his mouth to speak. "We finally have some news," he commented, though by the way he carefully avoided saying weather the news was good or bad Heidi surmised that the news could not be as cheery as the doctor sounded. "Zell's been treated with the bililights for over two days now, but there hasn't been any result. In order to further treat his ABO incompatibility we're going to go ahead with a blood transfusion," the doctor said, still sounding hopeful. Heidi stared at him blankly, seeming like a small child in need of a hug. Doctor Xiam thought for a moment, clicked his tongue and left. Heidi examined the palm of her hand. She wondered if Zell's fingerprints were anything like hers. She decided they weren't, even though she didn't have any concrete reason to believe so. It didn't really matter anyway.

  
  


Once again, Heidi scuffed down the white hallway. She rounded a corner like she was in a trance. Heidi walked awhile longer until she reached a long glass window in the middle of a wall. She could see Zell through this window, just as she had seen him undergoing phototherapy. But this time he had tubes and needles and something that looked like an IV, but the liquid was wrong- red, not clear. Heidi's stomach dropped. Her precious baby looked like some medical experiment gone wrong. Zell's eyes were glazed looking as he shifted restlessly and made a tiny pitiful moan. Heidi stared through the wall of glass and put a hand to the pane that separated her from her baby. A second later Heidi's heart broke as Zell raised a teeny-tiny hand the best he could with all the tubes in the way. Her mind raced- she had caused her baby pain. He would never understand. He could never love her after this. He would hate her forever. So she would run.

  
  


Heidi walked back to her room trying not to attrack any attention or cause any suspicion whatsoever. The walk seemed to take much to long. Finally, with a sigh of relief, Heidi reached her room. She hurried inside, closed the door behind her and sunk back against the door. She was getting too old for this. The doctor came every hour on the hour. He was due in about ten minutes. These visits lasted approxamately five minutes. . . So, five past left fifty-five minutes until the next visit. It would take her about five minutes to get dressed into real clothes- ones besides the hospital gown, and about ten minutes to get out of the complex. That would leave fourty minutes before they discovered she was gone. If she could get past the station and back onto the bridge to FH before the station was shut down for the day she would make it.

  
  


Doctor Xiam knocked on the door- exactly on the hour, same as always. Heidi was paranoid that he suspected something. Any sideways look was worried about- he surely must know what was going on. After four minutes Heidi was practically screaming. When the doctor finally bade her goodbye, Heidi's nerves were shot. She counted ten seconds after the door shut then sprang to the bathroom and changed into her own clothes. Unfortunately, the last time she had worn them was when she had been pregnant. The maternity clothes hung loose on her making her look too small. There was no time to remedy this though, she was already a minute behind schedule.

  
  


She walked the halls trying to look nonchalant, but whenever she came to an area of wall without doors she flat out ran until she came to the next door. She continued this all the way to the first floor. The front desk was located right opposite the front doors. Heidi waited until the nurses were busy with another patient and then casually walked out the door. Once outside she hustled as fast as she could. There was a system of pathways that led out of Esthar that would take long enough to navigate. There was only thirty-five minutes until the station closed. Heidi felt so out of place. Everyone else around her was wearing the customary Estharian robes, while she wore the common dress of FH. Nothing to be done, nothing to be done. If she could just get to the bridge, she'd be alright.

  
  



	4. What Next Unfolded

Disclaimer~ Don't sue me, Squaresoft- no profit, just amusement. Thank you so much to those who reviewed and thanks Harps for letting my ramble on about plot difficulties :)  
  
Doctor Xiam opened the door without knocking- he finally had some good news for Heidi and there was no point in waiting any longer to tell her. He was surprised to see that the room was empty- perhaps she was going to visit Zell? Though he thought that Heidi should have been back by now. . . No matter, he would have the front desk page Heidi. The doctor traced his way downstairs to the Nurses Station. He informed the nurse stationed at the desk- one that he was familiar with, actually- of the situation and then decided to visit another patient while he was waiting. No sense in wasting time, after all. The announcement came on as he was walking towards room 33A. "Could the patient of room 26 level B would return to her room? I repeat, if the patient of room 26 level B could please return to her room..." Doctor Xiam smiled to himself. This place was very efficient. It suited him perfectly.  
  
The Doctor had finished checking in with the patient of room 33A; Xiam was pleased with the progress that his patient seemed to be making in getting over his pneumonia. He should be perfectly healthy in a matter of days. Xiam was walking through the orange doors that contained the flight of stairs leading up to level B when a med student rushed up to him. The youth was obviously somewhat flustered, as he kept sighing and pulled at the corner of his white lab coat. "Doctor Xiam, sir? Um. . . well it seems that your patient- 26 B is, well, missing," he stuttered out. Doctor Xiam was appalled- what was going on here? What had happened to his neat and orderly day?  
  
Across much space, and perhaps even time, Heidi was making her way across the Horizon Bridge. She realized what she was doing when she was almost halfway to FH. What had she done? She had just abandoned her baby- oh, Hyne, she was such a fool. The sun was low on the horizon and as the final rays of light started to die away, an air of finality was suddenly cast on the situation. She had an idea though. She would go the rest of the way to FH find Rodney somehow- although she had no idea how- and they could travel back to Esthar together to reclaim their baby. Together. It was perfect, it was brilliant. It would work. It had to.  
  
The hospital had no record of any similar event happening. Ever. Which meant it was a judgement call on Doctor Xiam's part. The same med student that informed Xiam of the problem was the one that would carry out whatever Xiam decided. The only problem was the talkative nature of said med student. "Do you think we should try to contact the father, sir?" Xiam sighed, this would be rough. "No, he wasn't here for the birth- and besides, we have no way of knowing who the father is. . ." The student tried again. "We could try and do a DNA match-up?" Xiam was becoming impatient. "We don't even know where the father is from," he said, voice clipped. Xiam knew there was only one choice left to be made. "Where is the list of willing foster parents?"  
  
The med student had been quick enough to run and get the list of volunteers to be foster parents. The Sorceress War had just recently drawn to a close- or so Esthar hoped- and the list was longer than would usually be expected. While many children had lost parents in the war, many parents had lost children also. It may not have been the most moral thing to do- give away a baby that would probably serve as a replacement for some lost child. Nevertheless, the boy couldn't stay at the hospital for his entire life.  
  
There were two family names that had been waiting the longest for a child. There were the Kaminaks from Galbania and the Dinchts from Balamb. Galbania made Xiam a bit nervous, he had heard from other doctors that some Galbanians had taken to the practice of adopting children for the express purpose of having them serve in the Galbanian military later. Xiam wasn't necessarily sure that he wanted Esthar supplying Galbania's armed forces. Besides, Zell Kaminak was not the most attractive name. Zell Dincht was much better, although now that the doctor looked closely at the sheet, The Dinchts had agreed to nurture the child until he was 4 and then be willing to give the child to an orphanage. Well, it might not have been the best solution in the world, but it was the best of the current options. Maybe Zell would get lucky and Hyne would smile down upon this baby- it was all that could really be hoped for in the end.  
  
Mrs. Dincht was humming a tune as she worked in the small kitchen; bustling about as usual, making a two-person meal preparation seem like the planning of a banquet. She was just beginning to remove a steaming pan of breaded fish from the oven when the phone on the wall rang shrilly, nearly causing her to drop the pan. She looked woefully at the meal as she slid it back into the oven- with luck the phone call wouldn't take long and no permanent damage would come to her dinner.  
  
The phone rang again demanding an answer. Mrs. Dincht leaned over and picked up the receiver. "Dincht residence," she answered the phone. Her face slipped into a puzzled frown. "From where?" she asked. A pause, and then she spoke again, hesitantly. "Yes. . . My husband and I. . . a boy...?" her eyes widened, and her entire face glowed. "Of course- how soon? If we charter a boat...two days?" a smile crossed Mrs. Dincht's face and she hung up the phone. She was about to go running down to the docks to find her husband when the faint scent of something burning caught her attention. She altogether too quickly remembered dinner. Mrs. Dincht rushed over to the stove and threw open the door. The burnt remains of dinner were obviously uneatable, but for once she didn't care. 


	5. Bridging the Gap

Disclaimer: Zell wishes he owned Final Fantasy VIII so that he could have been the star of the entire game instead of 'best supporting character,' but since neither Zell nor I own FF8, the chances of that occurring are slim to none.  
  
  
  
Mrs. Dincht had always hoped she would wake up to a day like this one- the clear blue ocean stretching out in all directions as far as the eye could see, the soft lull of waves lapping against the side of the boat, the sharp tang of salt hovering over the water. It was seemingly unheard of to live in Balamb and to never have taken a real trip out into the ocean, but time and circumstance had never allowed Etta Dincht that delight. When the whole town had known her by name and known exactly what tragedy had befallen her sister, they had been careful to never let little Etta near the water. But now she was free to sail above it with little between her and the ocean. Considering the first thing that she could recall of the ocean in her younger days, it was amazing that she loved it as she did. It had torn apart her family- the undertow taking her sister far beneath the glassy surface- leaving her parents desperately trying to re-stitch the seams of their lives that were rapidly unraveling beneath them. When her parents had become old, and near the parting of worlds, they had requested that they be buried at sea so they could finally be reunited with their first-born. And the first-born had always been that. First. Etta had always felt that she had been unlucky to be the child that had been spared by the ocean. There was the grief, of course, and the mourning, but her mourning had eventually come to an end as she realized that her own life had to go on. Her parents' grieving went on throughout their entire lives together, until it no longer seemed that they were living with each other, but merely both living with their daughter's memory. Etta had never received as much attention as her sister had- and still had received posthumously. After all, how could Etta ever compete with such a feat as death?  
  
None of these thoughts, however, were focused on in Mrs. Dincht's mind right now. She was finally going to have the child she had always dreamed of; a boy- the hospital hadn't actually said much more than that when they had talked to her. All that she needed to know was that she was about to be the mother of someone special. Mothers, there certainly seemed to have been an outbreak of them lately. Both of the Shym and Ketter women had become pregnant this last year. The Ketter's child had already been born- it was a happy, gurgling two-month old girl- while the Shym's baby girl was expected sometime in early June. With her new son, that would bring the town's population of children up to an impressive sum of four, including the Shym's oldest child, a boy who was already ten. Two boys and two girls. . . Etta thought- just add a margarita and you'd have yourself a Friday night fish-fry. Etta tried to immediately push the lewd thought out of her head- she was about to be somebody's mother, and that just wouldn't be being a good role-model. She could feel a twinge of anticipation at this thought- she was about to be a mother. The only thing that could make this trip better was if her husband could be by her side right now. He was badly needed down at the docks for the next three days, and there had been no way that he could have gotten off of work. Reluctantly he had agreed to let Etta go herself; though he had so wanted to be there for that first moment.  
  
Shadows of earlier recollections had found their way back into Etta's head. She hadn't had the perfect fairy-tale childhood, but maybe this boy could. She would make sure there was never any doubt in his mind that she loved him. Gracious- she had just realized the hospital had been so anxious to find a parent for this child that they had neglected to give her it's name! That was assuming that the boy had a name, though. From what they had said, this baby couldn't be very old, probably younger than a week. Etta couldn't even begin to comprehend what could make a mother give her baby up for adoption- but perhaps she was being overly judgmental, she didn't know the woman after all, and she had no way of knowing what that woman's situation was. It was all best to leave the judging for holy Alexander. The only thing that mattered in the entire world right now was that Etta Dincht was about to be a mother- and she would forever cease to be Mrs. Dincht; and become Ma.  
  
The Horizon Bridge had been properly named- Heidi had felt as though she were on the very edge of the Earth when the sun's orange glow had finally been snuffed out by the star-speckled canvas of night. The air had grown colder and unidentifiable bugs had hummed and chirped in the darkness, while the trumpeted protests of vessels far out in the ocean had seemed to be accentuated when the wide ocean could no longer be seen. One foot in front of the other, Heidi reminded herself silently. One step at a time would bring her to Rodney, one step at a time would bring her back to Esthar and then more steps would bring her home again. Tiny steps, baby steps. Her mind registered this as a highly offensive. 'you have no right to even think the word baby after what you did,' her mind whispered. She pushed the thoughts out of her head by looking at the bright pinpricks of light overhead. Her eyes fell on each of the constellations, greeting each by name. They finally rested on one specific constellation set apart from the rest. It resembled a great lion that wept all the night, and the star cluster had thence been appropriately named Griever. Heidi was grieving for many things she had lost. She was sorrowed by the loss of her husband and the loss of her baby, but somehow the dispossession that bothered her the most was the loss of herself. 


	6. First Sight

Disclaimer: Why am I so limited as so I always have to begin the chapter with 'Disclaimer'??? Hmm... perhaps because I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. And Zell doesn't either- so he's no help. Sorry this chapter took so long, but wasn't it worth it???  
  
  
  
The night had passed while Etta had slept in the tiny quarters under the deck of the small vessel. She was up on board now and the sun was sparkling on the water as the boat skipped along the waves. It was another beautiful day and Etta's spirits matched the mood. She closed her eyes and smiled to herself as the boat rocked and swayed with the water. In a mere hour she would reach the edge of Esthar- of course after that she would have to pay a shuttle car to transport her to Esthar's medical facility and the ride would most likely take twenty minutes or so. But then, then!- she would get to see her baby at last! Etta's jubilation was momentarily disturbed by the realization that she would have to give him up when he was four- there was a rule about adoption in Balamb.  
  
You must first foster a child for one year, but then the child had to go to an adoption agency or orphanage. After another year you could apply to adopt a child. Usually, by the time the year had passed, the fostered child could not be located or had been adopted. Etta thought it was a ridiculous, archaic system desperately in need of change, but there wasn't much that she could do. All the while she had been thinking this, she had also been using the tiny kitchen facility to make a fish sandwich for herself. She wished that the galley was bigger- she would have loved to actually cook something instead of an excuse for an appetizer. She ate slowly, trying to imagine what the baby would look like. Etta imagined a solid baby boy- with swirls of brown hair. Maybe he'd look a little like her. . .  
  
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Heidi stepped off the Horizon bridge onto the familiar pavement of Fisherman's Horizon. The smell of seafood was shocking after she had been away for so long, and suddenly Heidi realized why so many stray cats had clustered there. It turned her stomach now- she had been away too long. But she wished she could have stayed away longer. She wandered along the narrow street seeing people she knew, but barely acknowledging them. She stepped onto the wooden planks that connected the street and the pier and they creaked below her as if greeting her in recognition. She knelt and traced a pattern on the wood with her finger. The wood was rutted and gouged from years of anchors and other fishing tools. A tear slipped from Heidi's eye and slid down her face where it fell with a drip into the water below.  
  
If she had been more careful- watched where she was walking- done something, she'd have a baby and a husband and a family. She heard a heavy step behind her, one she could have recognized anywhere. She turned around and her eyes met the green eyes of Rodney. The first thing Heidi noticed was his hair. Blonde- wispy coming to a spike in the front- it was the same as her baby's. Tears ran freely then, and Rodney caught her up in his arms when she stood. "I heard- what happened and- where's the baby?" He asked. As Heidi looked into his eyes, there was something deep within that made it impossible for her to tell him what she had done. He may not have been anywhere near perfect, but he never would have done something like she had. Heidi heard a voice say "miscarriage," and it took all to long for her to register that the voice was her own.  
  
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Etta had gotten off the boat and taken a shuttle ride so long that she was sure the sun would be setting by the time she arrived at the Medical Center. Etta was now standing in the entrance off to the side observing everyone without attracting attention. She stood there for some time, unsure how to ask for help until a women at the front desk noticed her. The women smiled and kindly asked "May I help you?" Etta had never been anywhere before, in fact she had never even been out of the country of Balamb. It was easy for her to assume that there wasn't much else to the world. But confronted with more people at one time than she had ever seen in her lifetime was awe-inspiring for her. Regardless of this though, she bravely stepped up to the counter.  
  
"The hospital called, they had a baby that needed a foster parent-?" Etta said. The women smiled.  
  
"You must mean Zell," she commented. Zell had been there for almost a week now and had soon become everyone's pet. The entire staff of the hospital had been charmed by the little baby and most of them knew him by name. Etta was a bit perplexed- no one had mentioned the baby's name was Zell, but Etta was looking so forward to seeing her baby that the name sounded like a measure of song or a tambourine. It was truly amazing how much one syllable could turn into a symphony. The women's eyes softened in understanding and she offered to page Doctor Xiam who, she explained, had been Zell's main physician. He would take care of the rest. Etta was back in her thoughts by the time the women's voice came over the loudspeaker, and the two minutes it took for the doctor to make his way to the front desk passed quickly.  
  
Doctor Xiam came up to Etta, introduced himself and smiled at the look of anticipation that was written all over her face. He could see that she would practically explode if she had to wait any longer to see Zell.  
  
"Well, no use in delaying any further, he's on the top floor- level C. I'll be happy to accompany you," he said. Etta smiled widely, showing bright white teeth and looking slightly downward- a tinge embarrassed that her enthusiasm was so obvious. Doctor Xiam smiled politely and walked towards the elevators, leaving Etta to follow in a half-daze. The Doctor stopped in front of a large orange elevator door and pressed the small "up" arrow next to it. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for the elevator- a slight ding announced it's arrival as the double doors slid open.  
  
"After you," Xiam said as he held the elevator door open for Etta. Butterflies were pounding against the inside of her stomach. She had no idea what she was so nervous about, she was finally realizing her dream- a baby, a family of her own. The elevator dipped slightly as it reached level C and the doors glided apart. They stepped out of the elevator, the doctor's polished black shoes clacking against the linoleum floor. With no hesitation he began walking towards a door near the far end of the hallway leaving Etta to follow wordlessly. Etta's stomach was tied into an internal knot and she tried to calm down, but found it nearly impossible to relax. She felt like she was looking down from the edge of a cliff, knowing that in a moment she would be jumping without a parachute. She was in a sense jumping without a parachute, they had reached the edge of the door Doctor Xiam had opened, and she was standing in the doorway with her eyes shut.  
  
The doctor looked back and saw Mrs. Dincht with her eyes closed. She obviously wasn't taking the steps that would bring her to her baby and Xiam sighed, slightly impatient. He had a lecture on "Exercise, Eating Right, and Why Doing Neither Can Lead to Heart Disease" in ten minutes and if she didn't hurry up. . . Etta opened her eyes and took a deep breath, bracing herself. She took a step, and then another, until she was standing next to Doctor Xiam. She would never, could never forget this minute of time- the first time she set her eyes on the baby- her baby. He was the smallest baby she had ever seen, smaller than most babies his age. He looked ethereal- his skin held a pale yellow color and was so transparent she could see blue veins under the surface. The baby's- Zell's eyes fluttered open and Etta could see that they were a striking blue.  
  
Etta took in a quiet breath and whispered, "He's so beautiful," to no one in particular. Xiam knew this and chose not to answer. Images filled Etta's head, hopeful images of Zell growing up, going off to school, getting married, having kids of his own. Etta smiled lost in her world of dreams for the future. She had loved Zell the second she had seen him and she would never ever let him go. Zell made a curious gurgling noise. "He likes you," Xiam commented with a small smile. Well, Etta liked him too.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Author's Note: I don't really know how babies act/ what they look like so bear with me. If anyone could tell me how to get italics to show up when I upload in Microsoft Word format I'd appreciate it very, very much, and also- Review please, I don't even care if you type the letter "a," it just helps boost my ego. ^-^ 


	7. Speaking Words

Disclaimer~ Nope, still not mine. Darn it.  
  
A/N:And now I thank Harps and Shootinstar for reviewing, you two win the award for being the most constant reviewers *cough, cough, (as in only)*  
  
  
  
Etta was sleeping soundly. She was faintly smiling in her sleep, it had been a year now since she and Zell returned to Balamb- to Home. For it had become a home now, a home worthy of family, a family that Etta finally had; what she had wanted more than anything else. She may have been thinking of her triumphant return with Zell as she turned over in her sleep. The little boat had landed with a soft jolt against the Balamb docks where her husband had been waiting for them. He loved Zell too, that she knew for sure. Etta could see it in the way he looked at Zell and the way he talked about him to friends, smiling fondly with as much, if not more pride than any so called 'real' parent possessed. Her husband had smiled for days when Zell had first performed the 'I like you' gurgle in his presence. The Dinchts had spent the first day rearranging the furniture in their tiny room off the back of the house, so that a tiny cradle for Zell would fit snugly in the corner. So much had happened since then, the Shym baby girl, Gella Ember, was now a bright-eyed 10 month old and the Ketter's girl child, Camellia Japonica was 14 months old. She had said her first word two weeks ago, it had been "bird."  
  
  
  
After awhile though, Etta had started to suspect that Zell might have a fear of the dark- he had been a constant night-time cryer since the first night. During the day he would smile and laugh and make happy cooing noises, but the moment he was in a dark room he would cry as if the sun wasn't going to come up the next day. This went on for the entire first year. Twelve months of Mr. and Mrs. Dincht getting up at all hours of the night, trying to comfort Zell and lull him back into his restless and uneasy sleep. Etta had a brilliant idea one day, though. A night-lantern. She sent for one that she had seen advertised on a sign in Balamb Station. It was a glowing half-sphere filled with water and plastic fish that could be turned on and off. In the dark, it projected a pattern on the ceiling much akin to the lines made by the sun shining through water. It started working immediately, that night was the first completely peaceful night since Zell had arrived.  
  
  
  
Used to the routine schedule of waking up in the middle of the night, Etta woke up to the humming sound the night-lantern made as it lit the room with a warm glow. She propped herself up on one arm to see over the edge of the cradle. Zell was sleeping, curled around his favorite blanket and a small stuffed bear. He wasn't making any noise and the dim light the lantern provided illuminated his pale face. Zell sighed and half-heartedly flailed out his right arm towards the bear. Etta crept lightly to the side of his bed and moved the bear closer to where he could reach it. Zell's arm hit the bear and he woke up with a start and started to make his pre-crying noise. Etta gently swooped him up in her arms and sang to him.  
  
"The stars are all your friends, the sky is their home- so when you're standing on your own, just try to remember, that you're not alone. . ." Zell made a sleepy sighing noise and Etta stopped singing.  
  
"I'm sorry I woke you up, my little Zelly," she apologized softly. Zell was already engaged in looking at the watery patterns on the ceiling, however. " Do you like your night-lantern, Zell? Ma and Pa bought it specially for you. . . See the fish swimming around inside?" Zell smiled.  
  
"Ma-pa fish!" he chortled quietly but happily.  
  
"Yes, that ri-" Etta stopped short. She looked at Zell closely. "Did you just- was that- Zell?" Zell giggled and looked impishly up from his cradle. Etta was frozen with Zell in her arms- should she set him back to sleep? Was she so sleepy that she was hearing things? For the past month he had been able to make repetitive sounds like "baba," "nana," and "tata," but he had never actually spoken before. That must be it, she was hearing things from her own sleepiness.  
  
"Ma-pa! Ma-pa!" Zell exclaimed. Alright, that was it she was not hearing things, this was it- Zell was talking!  
  
"Evan! Evan- wake up! He's talking!" Etta called to her husband. He groaned and rolled over in bed. "Evan Dincht, wake UP!" she yelled.  
  
"Wha-?" Evan muttered sleepily as he struggled to sit up in the bed.  
  
"Zell just talked- he said his first words!" Etta repeated. This time, the words and their meaning sunk in to the sleepy mind of Evan Dincht and he sat straight up in bed, falling over the edge of it as he tried to hurry over to Zell's cradle.  
  
"What did he say?" Evan asked frantically, his eyes shining in the light of the night-lantern.  
  
"Ma, pa, and fish," Etta answered. "Actually he said Ma-Pa fish, but still I mean I figure, I don't know if he was trying to say them all or just- you know I was talking and I said 'do you see the fish, ma and pa bought them specially for you...' and he just started talking!" Etta was rambling, and she didn't even care. Her baby had talked- to her! He said Ma, and it didn't matter what else he had said, he had said Ma first. In Evan's mind though, it was the opposite- yes, Zell had said Ma, but he had said Pa! Zell loved Evan as much as Evan loved him! Their family, this family- it was not a goal, not an ideal or an idle dream, it was something real, concrete, and right here in front of them.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Visit me at: www.livejournal.com/users/sorchazell 


	8. A New Friend

Formalities: Hah- found another way to start my chapters without "disclaimer" and still avoid lawsuits! I don't own any of the Square characters- but I do own my original characters, except for Gella Ember Shym, who is Harper's and also who's birthday is today (June 6) at least, it was today when I wrote this.  
  
  
  
Time passes quickest when you wish that time would be slow, someone once said. And as usual Someone was right. Zell was growing and progressing every day- he was two years old now and he could already do so much. He spoke in garbled, yet real sentences and had been crawling for awhile now. He also had discovered the joys of scribbling and was demonstrating this skill by 'prettifying' every porous surface in the household. Just last week he had drawn a crude, but quite recognizable line fish in the entryway. A woeful Etta had spent hours on her knees scrubbing the blue crayon marks off the wall, all the while complimenting Zell on his beautiful artwork. Etta was sure he didn't know any better and she didn't want to discourage his creativity, so she decided to take him down to the Harbor Market the next day to buy a pad of drawing paper and different colors of crayons.  
  
Etta gathered up her purse and a small bag of things for Zell- a juice box and a plastic bag full of fish crackers for him to snack on while she shopped. The Dincts didn't own a stroller, so Etta was going to have to carry Zell the entire time. After doing a quick once-over to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she scooped up Zell from his playpen in the front hall and rested him on her hip. She opened the door with one hand and sighed as Zell grabbed for his jacket that was hanging on the coatrack. "Zelly- it's July, you aren't going to need a coat," she tried to reason with him. But Zell was not one to be discouraged.  
  
"Want coat 'long jus' 'cause." he stubbornly declared. Etta sighed again, once Zell had an idea firmly cemented in his mind, there was no changing it.  
  
"Alright, you can bring it along, but you'll have to carry it yourself, okay?" Etta told him. She didn't mind him taking it along, but she had to set some boundaries somewhere.  
  
Zell thought for a second that smiled happily and chirped "O- tay!"Etta couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. He was cute. Mischievous, but very cute.  
  
Once they were all ready, and the coat issue was settled, Etta and her boy finally set off for the Harbor Market. The Harbor Market came to Balamb in the summertime, and stayed until early fall. The people of Balamb could barter for or buy nearly anything they could want from the Market, for the quaint little sellers' stands sold almost everything imaginable. There was an area for things like fresh fruit, a children's area, which Etta planned to visit, an area for housewares, and even an area for monster pieces that students from the nearby Balamb Garden could use to remodel their weapons. Etta and Zell stepped out the door of the Dincht residence into the bright sunny atmosphere of summertime Balamb. Zell looked at his jacket and frowned in the July heat. Etta saw this and paused- she was pretty sure she knew what would happen next.  
  
"Ooh- can go back?" Zell asked, holding up his jacket. Etta almost had to smile, he was such sweet little bundle of mischievous energy. Once again, she opened the door and hung the jacket back up on it's rack and once again, they set off for the Market. Only this time they got farther than the doorstop.  
  
  
  
Etta and Zell made their way to the stands that swarmed the area around Balamb's harbor, and the air was alive with the noise of people talking and the smell of the fresh fish being unloaded at the dock. They found their way through the masses of people, villagers and Garden students, to the children's area where Zell's eyes lit up at the sight of so many new things.  
  
"Etta- is that you?" a voice suddenly called out and Mrs. Dincht spun around to meet the speaker. It turned out to be Mrs. Shym from next door and Etta realized that for being neighbors they really didn't see each other very often.  
  
"This must be your son," Mrs. Shym continued, "he's so darling." Etta smiled and looked down at Zell, who was still looking around with the amount of amazement only a two year old can achieve.  
  
"He is, he's my little angel," Etta confessed, then noticed the small girl in the stroller that Mrs. Shym was holding on to. "And who's this little sweetie-pie?" Etta asked.  
  
"Oh- that's just my little Gella. Say hi, Gella." Mrs. Shym tried to coax. The little freckled red-head smiled, but said nothing. Mrs. Shym sighed.  
  
"She's already two, but she hasn't said a word . . . She'll smile and laugh, but she just doesn't say anything. " she explained. Etta smiled sympathetically, and replied,  
  
" I have the opposite problem- Zell talks non-stop all the time," Etta wryly smiled "We just can't get him to stop talking," And that was true, ever since Zell had said his first words, he talked happily and to anyone who would listen. Mrs. Shym seemed to be contemplating this for a moment and her eyes squinted, hinting at and idea.  
  
"Maybe we could help each other then. . ." she commented. "You know, just let Gella and Zell hang out and hope they'll rub off on each other." Mrs. Shym offered. Etta considered this, it would be a healthy thing for Zell if he had a friend his age.  
  
"I suppose. . . I mean, I think that would be great- Zell needs someone his own age to be friends with. . ." she answered.  
  
Etta set Zell down on the ground beside her, and he sat there next to Gella's stroller. Mrs. Shym and Mrs. Dincht started discussing things that were only of true concern to parents, such as what cleaning products got crayon off walls the best, and how to curb the nasty habit of throwing food. Zell looked around and set his eyes on Gella.  
  
" You 'n me be friends, o-tay?" Zell said to her. Gella smiled, and her shoulders came up to meet her chin as she smiled in her hunched up position. And that was the way the day went, the two women talking as the walked around the market, while Zell babbled to Gella and made faces and Gella giggled at Zell's little antics. It seemed as if Zell and Gella weren't the only ones who had gained friends. Etta had made a friend, too. 


	9. Countdown

Disclaimer: Ya know, it seems like the hardest part is to write that first 'disclaimer' and after that it all sort of just comes... I don't own FinalFantasyVIII or Zell or Any of the Shyms (they're all Harper's) for that matter- now that that's out of the way, thank you all who reviewed it really made my day. I *heart* reviews. Oh- and the story at the end isn't mine, either :(

  
  


Etta Dincht sighed from the interior of her home's small kitchen- she was trying to prepare Zell something to eat for lunch, but being a somewhat provoking toddler fully capable of crawling, he had gotten off to who knows where. "Zelly-D! Where have you gone off to?" she demanded. A gurgling laugh came from somewhere in the house's confines, but the rounded curves of the house's architecture bounced the sound from wall to wall until it was nearly impossible to tell where the noise had come from. "Zell- I'm going to count to five. . ." Etta said warningly. No response. "One. . ." Etta crossed the front hall into the back living area. No sign of Zell. "Two. . ." She looked under the table, but he wasn't there either. "Three. . ." She retraced her steps back through the kitchen and walked into the short hallway that lead to the bedroom. Etta looked everywhere, even getting down on her hands and knees to check under the king-sized bed that took up most of the room. "Four. . ." By now, Etta was becoming worried- she had heard him in the house, but her mind was racing to flash back to a childhood memory she could not rid her head of. A time when her own parents had not been able to find her sister. A time when the sea had swallowed her sister up- a time of pain and sorrow, for Etta's sister had been her twin as well. Fraternal, not identical, but looking alike wasn't important to the special bond the twins had. "Five! Zell Dincht- you'd better be ready to come out now because if you don't, you are going to be in so much trouble, mister!"

"Ma- I be here!" Zell called and Etta could now clearly tell that his voice was coming from the second floor's storage room. 

"Zell? How on earth did you manage to get up there?" Etta questioned as she gathered up her skirt and started up the staircase. Zell's tiny blonde head poked out from around the corner.

"I climb-ed stairs!" he announced triumphantly, smiling at her and reaching his arms outward for a hug. Etta's face broke into a fond smile as she scooped him up in her arms and climbed back down the stairs grinning and growling "Ma's gonna get you!" Zell shrieked and squealed- but he wasn't actually scared, it was a game that had developed between the two. "Ma's gonna gather up her naughty Zell and bake him up into a Zell pie- oh yes she is, for giving his Ma a fright like that!" She continued, reaching the bottom of the steps. Etta set Zell down on the floor and he scrambled to his feet, taking a good five steps or so before resorting back to a more familiar crawl.

"Can't catch me- I be Zell!" he exclaimed, looking behind him as he crawled rapidly towards the door. Two short raps on the door caused Zell to turn towards the door, which hit him smack dab on the side of his head as it opened. He immediately started bawling, much to the chagrin of a flustered looking Mabel Shym, standing in the doorway holding the hand of an equally distressed looking Gella, who seemed as if she might indulge in a fit of hysterics herself. Gella was wearing a new shirt, and she did seem quite happy about that. It was blue and patterned like water, with a scribbly-looking fish on the front. Underneath that were the words "Balamb Town, Balamb."

"Oh dear- Etta, I am truly sorry, I am, but Gella insisted that she would absolutely die if she couldn't visit Zell today, and I'm running late, and I don't mean to just dump her on you, but she just wanted to come over ever so badly. . ." Mabel rambled. 

"No problem, really. Zell's friends are welcome all the time. As long as you come back and get her sometime within the year, we'll be fine." Etta assured her with a smile. Zell's crying elevated to a level far beyond any initial pain there might have been- he had probably been more startled than actually hurt by the door, but Etta could remedy that. "Zelly- if you're hurt that badly, maybe you should go rest instead of playing with Gella." Etta suggested. The sobs and sniffles stopped right away.

"I feel much bet-er now!" he chirped and flashed a beaming smile to prove as much. "C'mon what-er we waitin' for?" Zell stood and raced clumsily to the back living area, leaving a shyly smiling Gella to follow silently behind. She talked more now, and as it turned out, Gella was only painfully shy rather than mute. Still though, she would communicate wordlessly as much as possible and only really talked a lot around Zell.

"Well, I guess I'll be off then." Mabel sighed, but as she turned to go, her stomach bumped the door into the umbrella stand, knocking it over. 

"I'll get that," Etta reassured and bent down to right the container. Mabel sighed again and left, this time without any incident. Mabel was pregnant again, with the Shym's third child, and with only three months until it was born she had been especially catastrophic lately. Etta raised herself to her feet and dusted off her apron, then set off for the back room to see what the kids were doing. She found Zell chasing Gella around and around the circular table in the middle of the room. His running was becoming more and more haphazard and Etta knew if she didn't come up with an alternate activity quickly, the entire room would be in shambles before Zell was done with it. She grabbed a book off the table and began to read from it, hoping that the two would stop to listen. "The Sugarplum Tree." Etta started. Her ploy worked and Gella and Zell sat on the ground while Etta pulled a chair out for herself. "Have you ever heard of the Sugarplum Tree? 'Tis a marvel of great renown! It blooms on the shore of the Lollipop Sea In the garden of Shut-Eye Town," just then, Zell interrupted the reading to ask a question.

"Ma? Is Shut-Eye Town close ta Balamb?" he asked, innocently, not knowing it was a fictional place. Etta smiled. 

"No Zelly-kins, it's far, far away from here." Zell looked a bit disappointed. 

"Oh."

Etta continued with the story. "The fruit that it bears is so wondrously sweet (As those who have tasted it say) That good little children have only to eat Of that fruit to be happy next day." The story continued to tell of a gingerbread dog and a chocolate cat that help little children get sweets from the tree. It was a short story and it was finished all to quickly. "What would you two like to do now?" Etta asked.

"Countdown!" Zell shouted happily. It was nearing Zell's birthday, and the Dinchts had made a sign for the wall that said "Days Until Zell's B-day" and underneath it were interlocking paper rings, one would be taken off each day until there were no rings left, which meant it was March 17. Etta walked over and removed the day's ring and Zell began hurriedly counting to see how long he had to wait. 

"Only, One...Two...Three...Four...Five" Zell counted, and then frowned, because he couldn't count any higher. "Only more 'den five days 'til my birthday!" he exclaimed happily. Once again though, the activity was over and he wanted something else to do. "Ma? Couldja read 'The Bravest Chocoboco' to us?? Pwease?" Zell begged. It was his favorite story of all, and despite the fact that he had heard it already today, he wanted to hear it again.

"Chocobo, Zelly. Alright, I suppose," Etta gave in- she would have read it a million times if he had asked her to. Zell was the joy of her life, the least she could do was put joy into his life.


	10. Birthday Gift

Disclaimer: We all *know* that I *know* I don't own FinalFantasyVIII. Grrr- I hate it when I feel like anything I write is just 'proficient'. Again- then Shyms aren't mine, they're Harps, and again, thanks to all who've reviewed and anyone who's stuck with the story.   
  
  
  


A week later, the day of Zell's party arrived. The Dinchts had decided to throw him a party to celebrate, and they had been rushing around for days trying to make sure that everything would be absolutely perfect for Zell's big day. 

"Zellykins! Are you getting ready?" Etta called. She hadn't seen him since breakfast, and when he was left alone to his own devices for too long, no one could be sure of what kind of craziness would ensue. The answer came from the back room, a hesitant "Yeah. . ." clued her in to the fact that this was probably not the case. She pursed her lips together and strode back towards the voice. What she saw as she walked through the doorway was Zell lying on his stomach, working on a foam puzzle. When he finished it, it would make up the shape of a large foam fish that could be used as a play-mat. Etta's hands went to her hips and she stared at Zell with her eyebrows raised in something just short of amusement.

"Oh, really?" she asked. Zell jumped in surprise and hastily started gathering up the pieces into one big pile. Etta turned and started to go through the doorway, as if she were leaving, but she paused and turned back around to make sure he was actually going to put them away. She was just in time to see Zell quickly shove the pieces under the round table that filled the center of the room. "Zell!" she reproached. He looked up, startled again, eyes wide with implied innocence. 

"Wasn't doin' anythin'...." he muttered, casting his eyes downwards, then under Etta's disapproving look, he gathered up the pieces into a neat stack and stuffed them into their original bag. Etta made a quiet noise that sounded distinctly like a 'hmph', but smiled in spite of herself.' 

"Come here, you." she said affectionately. Zell walked over to her and she swept him up and swung him around, as much as the small interior would allow, and then headed back through the kitchen, into the rear bedroom. She set him down on the carpet, where he immediately sat down on the floor, and Etta began rummaging through the small dresser that held Zell's clothes, looking for something appropriate for him to wear at his birthday party. She pulled out one of his better outfits, a button-down white shirt and a pair of creamy-blue shorts with straps that were attached to the back and buttoned to the fabric in the front. Etta had originally sewn the straps on because the shorts had been too big for Zell, but he had gotten to like them being there and refused to let her remove them, even though they were now unnecessary. "I think you're old enough to dress yourself, right?" Etta questioned, handing him the clothes. Zell nodded, taking the outfit from her, and headed for the small bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. Etta started for entrance hall to make sure everything was ready. The front hall was cheerfully decorated with spirals of flaming red and dark orange crepe paper taped to the hanging light fixture, with the ends reaching outwards and upwards to where the walls met the ceiling. There were balloons of the same colors tied to the light as well, and they waved and bumped up against each other from the spring breeze that found it's way in through the kitchen's open window. In the back sitting area there were more balloons carpeting the room and laying in mounds on the wooden floor.

"Ma....!...Won't button...!" Zell called from the back bedroom. 

"Well, come here then." she told him. He came waddling into the foyer, straps dangling down his back. He wore a scowl on his face, and was turning pink from the challenge of getting the button through the narrow slit. Etta knelt down and deftly buttoned the straps.

"Yoo make 'look easy..." Zell complained, his face a comical mask of dismay. 

"Well, someday it will be." Etta assured him. Just then the doorbell rang, and Evan Dincht trotted down the steps from the upstairs. Etta raised her eyebrows in a silent question and Evan nodded, telling her wordlessly that everything was ready.

"I get da door!" Zell exclaimed and raced over to it, pulling the door open and peeking out from behind it. "Gellies!" he yelled gleefully at Gella, who was standing in the open doorway with Mrs. Shym. Gella grinned and her face crinkled up in a smile. She was carrying a wrapped package, with two smaller gifts on top of the main gift. Etta hurried to the door.

"Here, I've got those for you." Etta said, taking the presents from Gella and setting them down on the counter a few steps to the right of the door. "Now, we're waiting for Evan's parents and the Ketter's little girl," she ticked off on her fingers, "and then we'll be all set." she concluded. Zell pouted then pulled Gella aside.

"They made me 'vite 'melia." he explained in a whisper. Gella shrugged.

"Camellia's nice, 'guess." she said, not really caring.

"Yea.... 'still" Zell said, obviously unhappy about the whole situation. The doorbell rang again, and this time Evan stepped forward to open it. Zell looked up and his eyes widened.

"Mom, Dad, great to see you!" greeted Evan with a smile, and then a hug for each of his parents. A tall, elderly male and stout, elderly woman came fully into the foyer, and Zell got a look at his grandparents for the very first time. Eyes wide, he peered out from behind his ma. Sensing the small presence behind her, Etta turned around to look at Zell.

"Zell, what's gotten into you?" she asked him. It was extremely unusual for him to be shy, and even rarer for the shyness to be enough so that it ceased his normal babble. "I don't know what's wrong. . . he's usually not like this." Etta commented to the senior Mrs. and Mr. Dincht.

"Well," Evan's father boomed, his voice a powerful rumble that didn't calm Zell's fears any, "Stand aside and let's have a look at this son of yours." Senzo Dincht had been a high-ranking military official in the Second Sorceress War, and his voice commanded the amount of attention that he was used to receiving. Zell obediently stepped out from behind Etta, and nervously fidgeted during the long silence while Senzo eyed him, seeing if he measured up to the Dincht standard. "What do you have to say for yourself?" he asked Zell, wondering how the boy would respond

"Awesome!" Zell exclaimed as he caught sight of Senzo's military dog-tags. Zell's grandfather nodded knowingly, he himself had found them impressive and official when he had been younger. 

"You like those?" Senzo asked "Wait until you get a look at this, then." Senzo reached deep into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a strangely shaped medal. The background was cross-shaped, and two interlocking sections, one white, one black, converged in the center. Both Gella and Zell stared in awe, even though they had no idea what the medal was for. To them, Senzo was obviously a very important person to have received such a thing. "Some time ago, when it was Esthar against the world, I risked my life to save an enemy soldier. I got this as a sign of carrying out a courageous deed. A neat bit of work, isn't it?" Senzo asked him, holding out the medal for Zell's examination.

"Dad," Evan rebuked, "I'm not sure it's a good idea to let him touch that. I wouldn't want him to break something of yours." Senzo smiled gruffly.

"That shouldn't be a problem, then. It's Zell's now." he responded

"But. . . Dad, that's your prized possession. . . he can't take that from you. . ."

"Nonsense. He'll wear it proudly someday, I can tell. I don't believe you'll be able to keep him from some interesting course of life, he's got the Dincht fire in his eyes."

"The Dincht fire? What are you talking about?" Evan asked. Senzo laughed.

" You wouldn't know- your eyes are purely your mother's side." he remarked. Renny Dincht playfully hit her husband on the arm, and conversation moved on to other, more worldly topics. But to Zell all of the noise and chatter faded into a lull in the background. He was unaware of anything else as he turned the cold metal over in his hand. Zell carefully slid it onto the strap of his shorts, he would wear it and always keep it near him. He had the coolest Grandpa in the world.


	11. Alphabet

Disclaimer: I almost forgot, I don't own FinalFantasy VIII. Wait, yes I do- it's in my Playstation console right now. . . Let me rephrase that, I don't own the copyright/trademark on FinalFantasy VIII, but I do own the game. ^-^ Thanks to all those who've reviewed (It's one fourth of the way to a hundred now!) And I have to especially thank Harpychan, LiquidSky, and Neko4. Harpy for letting me use Gella and other characters yet to be introduced, LiquidSky for constantly reviewing, and Neko4 for taking the time to get to know me in live-time conversation (IM). Now, on with the story. See- I worked on it!

  
  
  
  


With all of the excitement from the party settling down, and the weekend over with Evan back at work, everything suddenly caught up with Etta. The time was going too fast- Zell was already three now, and as amazing as it was to watch him grow and learn so much everyday, each day was bringing him closer to his fourth birthday. It wouldn't be the cheerful celebration of this past year's birthday, though, because due to Balamb's adoption bylaws, at four years old Zell had to be placed in an orphanage in order to give other adults wanting children a chance to adopt him. But Etta and Evan didn't want him to be adopted by anyone else but them. Maybe it was selfish- if they truly loved him, Etta's mind reasoned, they should be happy that if he was adopted he would have a family to care about him. But then again, if he was, the family wouldn't be the Dinchts. A small drip of moisture escaped Etta's eye at this point- she refused to admit it was a tear, she wasn't crying, she was just. . . having an emotional moment. She teetered into the small adjoining bathroom, eyes blurring with more tears, and quickly yanked a few tissues from the box on the counter in rapid succession. She roughly rubbed at her eyes with them and threw the tissues away, then splashed cold water onto her face in an effort to dissuade her eyes from becoming red and puffy. Zell had been left to his own devices the entire time, so Etta thought it would be wise to go check on him. 

Etta climbed the stairs- her and Evan's gift to Zell had been his own room. They had worked long and hard at converting the second floor storage room into a room for Zell. It was on the plain side, but they had added special touches to personalize it and make it truly his. The counter that spanned the right wall of the room had been covered in a fun fabric with a fish motif. It was convenient, because when Zell got older, it could be removed to make the room grow with him. If the Dinchts were the ones to adopt him, that is. . .

Zell was doing a quite activity for once, he was seated at the counter with the fish fabric and was deeply involved in scribbling inside (and outside) of the lines of the coloring book that Gella had given him for his birthday. It was a coloring book full of monsters, and since Zell had never seen any of them with his own eyes, he was happily selecting colors at random. The creaking at the top of the stair made Zell spin around.

"Ma! Look!" Zell called out cheerfully, holding up a picture of a blue and green T-rexaur. Etta smiled, she knew that it was supposed to be red. Not that she would tell him that, she didn't want him to lose his creativity.

"Whoa, a T-rexaur! I'm so scared- come and save me Zell!" Etta pretended to be struck with fear at the 'life-like' monster. 

"Don' worry, Ma, I protect yoo!" Zell bounced out of his seat and hopped up and down growling at the coloring book, obviously trying to intimidate the paper T-rexaur. His antics continued for awhile until Etta said she was no longer afraid of the monster. Zell plopped down on his new knee-height bed and looked up expectantly at Etta.

"So. . . how about we work on the alphabet?" Etta suggested. She was trying to teach Zell how to read so she could send him letters while he was at the orphanage. This brought another thought to Etta's mind. How could she tell him that he was going to have to leave for awhile? 

"'Kay," Zell agreed readily, though a little reluctantly. He had a hard time with some of the letters, and it was frustrating when he had to relearn something that he didn't understand. Etta stepped out of the doorway and crossed the room to pull a bin out from under the counter. Before sliding the bin back into place, she took out a stack of scrap paper and a bundle of markers. She sat on the floor, scribbling something on the paper before holding it up for Zell to see. 

"What's this letter?" Etta asked. He probably wouldn't have any trouble with this letter, he remembered up through the tenth letter, but after that he wasn't so certain. Zell squinted.

"A!" He recognized triumphantly. 

"And something that starts with 'A' is. . .?" Etta prompted. Zell's face scrunched up in though as he tried to think of something that started with A. 

"A-a-a . . ." Zell started, frowning. "Apple!" his eyes lit up. Etta scribbled another letter. "B!" The response was quicker this time, once Zell was confident, his speed dramatically improved. He didn't even need Etta's prompting to name something that started with 'B'. "Bite Bug! Balamb, too!" Zell was ecstatic that he had named not only one, but two things. It continued on like this, Etta hinting and prompting Zell through most of the letters, except for the occasional one that he knew. 'F' was very quickly named, and just as quickly deemed 'Fish', and 'G' was hurriedly decided to be G-as-in-Gella. They then reversed the game, Zell with paper and markers poised at ready while Etta called out a letter, this time not in any order, and Zell wrote the letter on paper. He was much better at this version, and succeeded in writing out all of the letters perfectly, except for confusing 'X' with 'Y'. 

All the while, Etta's thoughts were still lingering on the inevitable departure of next year. Even if she did write, there was no way she would be able to actually talk to him or see him face to face. If he woke up at night from a bad dream, she wouldn't be there to listen sympathetically and pour him a glass of water. If he was hungry, someone else's hands would be the ones preparing his food. Etta was having a difficult time believing that she could trust someone else with the complete and total care of Zell. She looked around the room for something that could be sent along with him, something that he could carry with him, but that would also carry a special meaning from back home. There were stuffed animals and small toys, but nothing that was small enough to be carried around while still having actual meaning. Etta sighed. Zell jumped to the immediate conclusion that she was upset because he had mixed up two letters and silently promised himself that he would try harder than ever to learn every single one of the letters, and make his ma proud. He still didn't grasp the concept that Etta was proud of him just for existing. As usual, Zell's inner emotions traveled straight to his face- his lip quivered and his blue eyes widened and watered.

"What's the matter?" Etta asked kindly, reaching up to wipe the tear from his eye.

"..never gonna learn letters!" Zell wailed, throwing his arms around his ma's neck. Etta hugged him and calmly spoke words of encouragement, but her thoughts drifted to the future. There had to be something that she could give him, a physical token of the fact that he had a home and family waiting back in Balamb that would let him make it through the year he spent away. There had to be something she could give him, or make him. There had to be something she could do.


	12. Three to get Ready

Disclaimer: Once again, I don't own ff8, and once again, thanks to all that have reviewed and stuck with the story and thank Harps for the lack of grammar mistakes, actually dubbing someone "Official Beta Reader" seemed to have helped. Oh- I get it! Beta! You see, every writer reads their own writing first, so the writer would be the Alpha Reader... and then the first person who reads it, sort of the second-in-command, or what not, is the *Beta* Reader!!! Yeah!

* * *

~"Zell, I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain, but we don't have a choice. . ." 

"No! Stay with yoo! I Stay! Stay!"

"But you can't. . ."~ 

Etta was at a loss for ways to explain to Zell that he had to go to an orphanage. She'd tried explaining that she had no control over the situation, but he just cheerfully stated that he didn't have to go, he'd just stay. She tried and tried, but with every attempt her reasons were getting weaker and weaker, until even she wasn't sure she understood the reasons anymore, they were all just a lot of legalities and red tape. Hyne condemn red tape, it was now the bane of Etta's existence. Apparently, it was the bane of Gella's existence as well, the little girl had not taken the news that her best friend had to go away very well. She had turned an unnatural shade of pink and her breath had come in short gasps, and then finally she'd screamed and cried until she didn't have any air or tears left in her. 

The Shyms tried to keep Gella away from Zell as much as possible after that, to try and get her used to not having him around, and they tried cajoling and coddling her into becoming friends with Camellia Ketter, who lived across the street, but the attempts backfired. It became so that Gella and Zell were practically attached at the hip, the more that the Shyms discouraged contact with Zell, the more time Gella would want to spend with him. Finally, Mabel and Keagan gave up, and let Gella be the judge of how she should go about separating herself from Zell. Needless to say, she didn't actually separate herself from Zell at all, she clung on and spent every minute possible in his company so that she would at least have the memories when he was gone. But that didn't change the fact that he would be gone. Not necessarily gone forever, but there was always the possibility that he might be adopted by someone, and in all probability, if that occurred, she'd never see him again.

The news wasn't easy on Zell, either. Ever since Etta had told Zell that he would be leaving almost as soon as he turned four, Zell had woken up shrieking with nightmares each night. Etta or Evan would rush up to his bedroom to wake him up, go back downstairs to get him a glass of water, then sit on the edge of the bed and listen to Zell babble until he felt reassured enough to be left alone, or until he ran out of steam and fell back asleep mid-sentence. The Dinchts were getting quite a bit of exercise this way, with all of the trips up and down the steps. It was heartbreaking for them, not being able to change or avert the situation. They were helpless, there was nothing that they could do, and they knew it.

In addition to the nightmares, during the day Zell had become needy and afraid of being without the company of someone. No longer would he be content to sit in his room and scribble in his coloring books. Instead he would track his ma down, trying to help, but usually ending up being a nuisance in whatever task she was doing. Etta couldn't fault him for it, though, because she was just as bad, she would sometimes creep up to his bedroom at night, and stare at the fragile little form veiled by the darkness and his blanket, just to make sure that he was still there, that he wasn't gone yet. Between the Dinchts and the Shyms, about five percent of Balamb's population was in turmoil.

At last the three of them, Etta, Evan, and Gella, came up with an idea to take their minds off the impending doom of Zell's departure. They could make something for him, something that he could carry around with him that would comfort him whenever he was lonely or frightened. Gella insisted that it absolutely must be fish-shaped, and Etta and Evan agreed, the fish motif would at least remind Zell of Balamb. Evan carved the fish out of wood in his spare time, and gave it a very sleek look by adding unexpected ornamentation. Every minute spent carving, he thought of Zell, and the three years worth of memories that Zell had given him and Etta. Even if Zell was adopted by someone else, the whole experience would be worth it, just for those three years.

Gella's part in the project came with the next step. Under the careful guidance of Mrs. Dincht, she painted the fish in four different stripes of colors. A cheery spring green the color of a bright leaf, an equally cheery violet, poppy red, and tangerine. The lines might not have been exactly straight, and there may have been smudged finger prints of green in the orange, but it was a true effort from the heart, and that made it possible for any flaws to be overlooked. As if the fish design itself wasn't enough to remind Zell of Balamb, Etta's part in the undertaking was to carefully paint in bold black letters, "HOME." Zell cried when presented with the gift, but he slept with it under his pillow and carried it with him in his pocket wherever he went and through whatever he did during the day. The year passed all too quickly after that, the only notable event being the accidental education of Zell by Evan regarding one or two choice words that Etta dearly hoped he would forget before his stay at the orphanage. 

March 16, and the Dinchts were poised on the thin line between anxiety and insanity. Zell's suitcase had been packed already, and a small bundles of simple letters that Zell could read if he became lonely had been slipped into it by Etta, when Zell's back had been turned.

"Ma?" Zell asked hesitantly as he crawled into his bed.

"Yes, Zell?" Etta responded, pulling the comforter up to Zell's chin. His hands gripped the edge of the blanket as if he was drowning and it was a piece of driftwood.

"Yoo still love me?" Zell's eyes were wide with trepidation, waiting expectantly and desperately for an answer. Etta almost laughed at ridiculous nature of the question, of course she loved him, but realized that Zell would take the laughter as a 'no,' so she stifled the chuckle. 

"Always. I will always love you, Zell." She assured him firmly, tweaking his nose and giving him a kiss goodnight before flipping the light switch.


	13. Newby

Disclaimer: How do I not own ff8? Oh let me count the ways.... 

The Dinchts stood in front of the orphanage like three statues. Zell stared at the huge stone building in awe and fear, it was intimidating, like an ancient monster that would wake up and attack at any moment. He tried to back away, only succeeding in stumbling over a loose piece of stone on the ground, but thankfully was caught by the firm grip that Etta had on his small hand. An outsider might assume that she was afraid of Zell getting loose and wandering into the ocean that bordered the backside of the orphanage, but she held an equally tight hold on Evan's hand, testifying that her unnecessary strength should be accredited to reluctance, not worry. She wasn't about to turn Zell over to perfect strangers until she had seen that they weren't going to neglect him. The three of them, still linked by their hands, formed a sort of solemn processional up to the front door between two tall pillars. Though it was sunny out, and ivy grew on the cracked stone, the mood of the group  was bleak and grey. 

The Dinchts had left Balamb's port for Centra on March 17, Zell's fourth birthday. They had celebrated on the boat, and Zell had even gotten to see the Captain, a gruff old man that reminded Evan of an older version of his father. As long as they all ignored their final destination, the trip was fun and the mood lighthearted. But the boat was too fast, and they reached the shore of Centra in four days, and no more than three hundred feet away from a lighthouse was a large stone house. They'd begun the hike atop red stone, and now they stood in front of the door. 

"You okay, Zell?" Evan asked him, seeing him on the verge of tears and clutching the wooden fish in his left hand. Zell nodded tearfully, and Etta dropped her hold on Evan's hand in order to scoop him up into a hug. 

"You'll be back before you know it," she assured him, not letting herself cry. If she started crying, Zell would throw a tantrum, and she'd never get him to stop clinging to her. Evan knocked on the rough wooden door, and moments later it was hesitantly opened by a thin woman in black with a frowning blonde child peering out from behind her. He quickly turned around and disappeared into the house bellowing, "Newby!" Etta wasn't sure if he was trying to say "New boy!" or if Newby was something they called new kids. Either way, she didn't have a very high opinion of the boy. 

"You're the Dinchts, I presume?" the woman inquired. At Evan's nod she smiled and said, "Come in, Cid and I were expecting you." They stepped into the house, into a room with a bed against the left wall and a faded red and gold tapestry hanging on the right wall. It wasn't a particularly impressive or stately place, but the walls and floors were clean, and the objects placed in a way that gave of the feeling that someone deeply cared for this place. From around the doorway into the next room peeked a couple of faces that looked to be about Zell's age. A blonde girl with an inquisitive look on her face, a bouncy brunette girl jumping up and down to see over the blonde's head, and an interested boy with red-brown hair standing next to her. A man slipped past the children and entered the room. 

"This is my husband, Cid Kramer, and I am Edea," the pale woman introduced, with a smile. "And the little goblins around the corner are Quistis, Selphie, and Irvine," she continued with an affectionate glace towards the children. She bent down near to Zell. "You may go meet them, if you'd like." Zell looked like that was the last thing he'd want to do, but with an encouraging pat on the back from Etta, he trotted into the next room. "If you don't mind my being forward, why are you giving Zell up for adoption?" Edea questioned. Etta grimaced, and moved to the back of the room to set Zell's suitcases down near a bureau and a small table.

"Not by choice," Evan responded. Both Edea and Cid's eyebrows raised at that, and they waited expectantly for him to continue. "By Balamb law, other would-be adoptive parents must be given the chance to adopt young children, and the country achieves this by mandating that when the child is four, they have to spend at least a year in an orphanage before a Balamb resident can adopt them." Cid sighed.

"You would think that the objective would be to place children in a happy and supportive home, but it all comes down to politics," Cid commented ruefully. 

"I'm sorry, but it might be best for you to leave while Zell is distracted. I can assure you that I take excellent care of all of my children, and we'll let Zell contact you whenever he wants to, by letter or by HD cable," Edea suggested. Etta looked pained at the idea of Zell being someone else's child, but Evan and her, hands clasped tightly, managed to walk through the door and out of Zell's life- at least for the next year.

"He-ey! What's yer name!" the brunette girl asked him, as soon as he was within shouting range. At the same time the blonde girl and the reddish haired boy tried to introduce themselves.

"I'm Quistis!" the blonde exclaimed.

"I'm Irvine," the boy said, looking downward. Zell navigated the steps and stopped at the bottom. The blonde boy who had been at the door was glowering from a crate in the middle of the room, as an older girl lead a brunette boy through the back door.

"Zell Dincht," Zell said shyly, but proudly. The blonde boy frowned even harder, if that was possible. 

"No last name. Yoo're a orphan," the blonde sneered. Quistis looked disapprovingly at the boy. 

"He's Seifer," she said, pointing at the blonde. The older girl from the doorway added,

"He's always like that. I'm Ellone, but you can call me Sis, if you want." The so far unnamed boy gave Zell a small smile, which encouraged Zell some. 

"Who're yoo?" Zell asked the boy shyly. "What's a orphan?" he asked as an afterthought.

"Squall," the boy answered, just as shyly. 

"An orphan... is a kid who's lost their parents," Ellone explained tactfully. Zell frowned. 

"Got parents!" and trotted back up the steps into the other room to prove his point. But no one was there except for Edea and Cid. "Ma!!!! Where's Ma!?" Zell asked, wailing. Edea looked worried, but crouched down to face Zell. 

"They had to leave, Zell. Cid and I can take your suitcases, and we'll find you a bed downstairs, okay?" Zell nodded numbly, eyes wide with shock, but followed Cid and Edea down a small set of steps into a room filled with narrow beds pushed right up against each other. Edea looked contemplative for a moment, then pointed at one of the beds that was neatly made up. "You can take the bed between Squall and Seifer, alright?" she told him, setting the suitcases on the bed. 

"Until dinner, you can play with the other kids, unpack and explore, or whatever pleases you," Cid added. 

"We'll find you when dinner is ready," Edea assured him. The two adults took this as their exit cue, leaving Zell alone in the bedroom. He curled up on his narrow bed, in between his suitcases and let two tears trickle down his face as he uncurled his hand and stared at the fish that mocked him by dancing with the name of the one place that was out of reach. Home. 


	14. Exit the Fish

Disclaimer: Nothing's changed since the first chapter, I still don't own ff8 or any of the characters/ideas/concepts belonging to the game. Darn. Oh, August 20 is officially "Thank your Beta Reader" day, as per declaration of me.  
  


True to her word, Edea had come back for Zell when supper was ready, to find him still curled up on his bed, asleep. She'd smiled at seeing how Zell was quietly snoring as he slept, and had patted the top of his head gently. Moving the suitcases off the bed, she'd been especially cautious not to wake Zell. She'd set them quietly at the foot of the bed, then even more carefully picked Zell up with one arm, and pulled back the covers of his small bunk. Setting Zell back down on the bed, Edea had lightly tugged off his shoes and placed them next to his suitcases. She'd then tucked the covers around Zell and left him to sleep, going back upstairs to prepare him a plate of food for when he woke up. 

A week or so had passed since Zell's first night at the orphanage, and he grew more used to his settings with each passing day. That first night had been the hardest, Zell had slept through supper, waking up to eat much later than everyone else, so he hadn't been tired that night and had been awake surrounded by unfamiliar rustling, mumbling and snoring. Zell had been on his back, staring up at the low ceiling, listening to the boy on his right, Squall, breathe heavily in the semi-darkness. The boy to his left, Seifer, was snoring, making a half-choked sort of noise that made Zell want check and making sure Seifer could still breathe. Zell'd been awake like this for most of the night, barely moving or breathing, until finally sheer exhaustion forced his eyes closed and caused him to fall asleep. 

"Did you sleep well, Zell?" Edea had questioned kindly the next morning.

"...Yes..." Zell had responded. He didn't want to make Edea feel bad, it wasn't her fault he couldn't sleep. 

The mornings after that went much the same way, Edea or Cid asking the children how they were, what their plans were for that day, or some other polite question. This morning was no different. 

"And how is everyone feeling this morning?" Cid asked cheerfully. The children all made indistinct responses of the "Fine," "Good," variety. 

"That's excellent. Edea and I have a special treat for you today, we're all going down near the beach!" Cid informed them, wrapping an arm around Edea as she came into the room. The pair looked oddly matched, Edea being pale and thin, while Cid was a healthy reddish color and far from being slender. Zell looked around at the other children; Quistis looked happy to be going to the beach, Selphie looked excited, and Seifer looked smug. Irvine looked pleased and Ellone looked enthusiastic as well, the only other child that appeared nervous besides Zell was Squall. He had a faint frown on his face and seemed uncertain. After the children had finished their breakfasts, some faster than others- Selphie had eaten her's so quickly that Zell was amazed she hadn't made herself sick- they had taken turns changing into swimsuits. Etta had packed a swimsuit for Zell. Even though he didn't know how to swim, he could still play on the beach. Neither Edea nor Cid wore a swimsuit, and Zell would have been surprised if they had.

"Slow down, Seifer!" Cid called, as the group made it's way down the rocky path to the beach. The blonde wearing navy blue swim-trunks had raced ahead and disappeared around a corner. 

"Hurry up, yoo guys are slow!" Seifer yelled, from somewhere further along the way. Zell sighed and clenched his fist a little tighter. He'd brought the wooden fish along with him, and his fingers were tightly wrapped around it. He opened his hand to glance at it, and Squall who was padding silently along next to Zell caught sight of it out of the corner of his eye. 

"Whatcha got?" Squall asked, curiously.

"Wood Fish," Zell explained. "My parents an' Gella gave 'im to me." Squall nodded knowingly, even though he didn't know who Gella was.

"I got Griever," Squall proclaimed proudly, pulling a necklace out from under his shirt. A ring with an engraving of a winged lion dangled from a silver colored chain.

"Cool!" Zell exclaimed, wide eyed. The necklace obviously meant a lot to Squall, and Zell felt a bit of pride that Squall was willing to share it with him.

"Please speed up a little, back there!" Edea requested, half turning to give each boy an emphatic look. Squall and Zell's conversation broke off then, as the two hurried to catch up with the group. Once they had made their way down the rocky path to the beach, each child was fitted with a life-jacket, and Zell was so engrossed in examining the buckles of his own red and blue life-jacket that he didn't notice his hold on the wooden fish had loosened until it slipped out of his hand to fall to the warm sand. Zell quickly snatched it up from the ground and shoved it into the pocket of his swim trunks, but not before Seifer observed the object with a calculating and malicious look that looked much too old for the five year old's face. Seifer was impatient, but he was also intelligent, and he decided to wait for the right moment to carry out his plan, . 

Finally the time came. Edea was supervising the girls construction efforts on a sandcastle, an occupation that took all of her attention, because Quistis and Selphie had drastically different visions of what the castle should look like, and Cid was leading a game of catch between himself, Squall, and Irvine. Zell was trying to come up with a good way to ask if he could join in the game when Seifer spotted his moment and tapped Zell on the shoulder. 

"Wanna play?" Seifer tilted his head to the side waiting for Zell's answer. Zell's eyes widened in surprise- the harsh blonde asking someone to play? 

"Okay!" Zell chirped happily. Seifer just grinned. "Whatcha wanna play?" 

"Hows about tag?" Seifer suggested. 

"With two people?" Zell wrinkled his nose. "Okay..." 

"I'll be it." Seifer informed Zell. "Yoo got five seconds ta run." Zell laughed, and took off down the beach, and merely ten seconds later, the taller boy caught up with Zell. A moment later, before Zell even knew what had happened, he was down on the ground, having tripped over Seifer's outstretched foot. Before Zell could get up, Seifer bent down and grabbed the wooden fish which had fallen out of Zell's pocket when he fell. 

"Lessee if it can swim!" Seifer yelled, with a quick glance to see if the adults were watching. He drew out the moment, pretending to contemplate the situation, then with as much strength as a five year old could manage, Seifer threw the wooden fish into the ocean. Zell froze, then cried out as the fish made cheery 'plop!' into the water. 

"NOOO!" Zell started sobbing without bothering to get up from the sand. Edea looked up and came running towards them, holding her dress off the ground with one hand.

"What happened here?" She asked, fearing the worst. Zell was still bawling too hard to be understood.

"He lemme see this wood fish he's got, and it fell in the water," Seifer explained, with an innocent expression. 

"Oh, Zell, I'm sorry to hear that..." Edea comforted, going to the crying boy and hugging him. "But there isn't anything I can do..." 

The thoughtful eyes of a brunette boy watching the exchange from afar didn't betray that he had seen through Seifer's lie. 

The day at the beach came to an sudden end after that, and the group that trekked back up the sloping pathway was much more gloomy than they had been on the trip down. Zell was inconsolable, the tears wouldn't stop coursing down his face and for once, Zell didn't speak the rest of the day. He was still crying as he climbed into bed that night, glad for the night's blackness, but seething to be next to Seifer. He had no security object now, nothing to clutch in the night. He shifted uncomfortably, reaching to adjust his pillow. 

Zell's hand met cold metal. Confused, Zell pulled out an object from under his pillow, and squinted at it. A ring engraved with a winged lion was dangling from a silver colored chain. 


	15. Stranger

Disclaimer: I did this once already- do I have to do it again? But anyway thank you my adoring public…… erm... reviewers. ^.~ And let's all remember- August 20th was "Thank Your Beta Reader Day," if you forgot, thank them now and pretend today is "Thank You Beta Reader Day." They'll never know. Sorry for the delay, but I was on vacation.

  
  


Zell woke up the next day with the weight of cold metal around his neck. Incoherent and still between sleep and the waking world, Zell reached up to touch the unfamiliar object. Zell blinked- Squall's necklace? What was he doing wearing Squall's necklace? Zell thought for a moment, then faintly remembered slipping the Griever necklace over his head and around his neck last night so that he wouldn't lose it in the dark. Turning to look next to him, and empty bed and rumpled blankets indicated that Squall had already gotten up. Zell slid out from under his own bed covers and grabbed a clean shirt and shorts to change into. Entering the kitchen, Zell saw Squall sitting there, patiently waiting for him. 

"Seifer got in trouble," Squall said. Squall's expression remained the same except for a subtle look of satisfaction creeping into his eyes. 

"For what?" Zell asked, puzzled. Edea had seemed to believe Seifer when he'd said the fish falling into the ocean was an accident, but Seifer wouldn't have gotten in trouble over an 'accident.'

"Your fish. Wasn't an accident- I saw," Squall said. Zell was surprised; Squall had told Matron about Seifer? "He can't come upstairs today," Squall continued, obviously pleased with the punishment. 

"Thank yoo!" Zell exclaimed. He felt like dancing around; his rival was in trouble and he seemed to have a friend. 

"Whatever. . ." Squall shrugged, smiling modestly. It wasn't a big deal. There was a pause in the conversation.

"Squall...?" Zell asked, shyly.

"Yeah?"

"Do yoo think about your parents ever?"

"Yeah." Squall looked downwards.

"I miss mine lots." A pause.

"I didn't know 'em. I have Sis- yoo seen her?" Squall hadn't seen Ellone since last night; it seemed like she'd just disappeared. 

"Nope," Zell said. Last night he'd been so busy mourning the loss of his fish that he hadn't paid attention to anything else. Speaking of last night-- "Oh yeah, your necklace. . ." Zell reached up to unfasten it.

"Keep it for awhile," Squall held up a hand, motioning Zell to stop. 

"Hey thanks!" Squall shrugged. Once again, it was no big deal. 

Edea entered the room, pausing when she saw Squall. Her face held an unusually tight look, as if she had been holding something back that she couldn't hold back any longer. 

"Squall. . ." Edea started, hesitantly. "There's something I need to talk to you about." 

"Squall didn't do nothing!" Zell protested, fiercely defending his friend. "Seifer's lying if he said he did."

"Zell, this involves Ellone, not Seifer, and even though you may be mad, you have no grounds to accuse Seifer of anything," Edea chided, turning to Squall. "She's left here. She thought it was better to leave than to pose a danger to the other children." Squall froze, face going from completely blank to anxious, as realization hit him. 

"Where's Sis!?" Squall's eyes were wide with panic.

"I'm so sorry Squall," Edea said, kneeling. She held her arms open and hugged Squall as he latched onto her.

"Sis doesn't like me anymore, does she?" Squall said, sobbing on Edea's shoulder.

"Oh, Squall, Ellone loved you so much, and it hurt her so to leave you, but she did it for you. She loved you enough to leave you," Edea comforted, gently patting Squall's back as he sobbed and choked out a response.

"Don't make sense! Don't make sense at all!" Squall pulled out of Edea's arms roughly, and banged through the door, running without stopping to think about where he was going to go. "I'm gonna find Sis!" came the shout from outside. Edea stood quickly, and chased him through the door, her advantage of height negated by the limitations of her long black dress.

"Squall!" The door slammed shut, leaving Zell to a suddenly silent room. He mentally debated, then opened the door and slid outside, taking care to shut it softly behind him. He cautiously followed the path Edea and Squall had taken, stopping short to avoid being seen. Peering from behind a pillar, Zell witnessed a strange sight. A tall young man stood near Matron, and they seemed to be talking. Zell wasn't close enough to hear the conversation, but snatches of it drifted by him on the wind. 

". . .don't worry. . .won't go anywhere. . ." Zell observed the stranger with admiration, who was this strange person, and why did he look so familiar?

". . .poor thing. . ." A cloud of purple smoke appeared behind them, and Zell stifled a cry, eyes watering in fear at the winged female creature that staggered closer to the stranger and Matron. In a quick motion, the young man drew a blade that looked like a strange cross between sword and gun, and moved into an attack stance. The strange winged being staggered closer still, and Zell was too afraid to be surprised that the stranger had called Edea 'Matron.' Edea walked forward slowly, and the stranger slowly lowered his weapon. What looked like purple lightning bolts struck Edea, and she froze where she stood, then fell to her knees.

"Matron!" Zell's cry was drowned out by the identical shout of the stranger. The young man's eyes met Zell's briefly, and a flash of realization crossed his face before the stranger rushed to the side of Edea. The stranger knelt down by her, and they exchanged words that Zell couldn't quite make out over the sound of his own loudly beating heart. The stranger helped Edea stand, and they both turned as Squall came running towards them. 

". . .can't find Sis. . ." Squall said, tearfully. ". . .Am I. . . all alone?" Zell was upset to see his friend so sad, but wisely stayed in his hidden position. Edea said something to Squall, then turned back to the stranger. The stranger saluted, then disappeared. Zell blinked, disbelieving what he had just seen.

With a start, Zell realized that Edea was leading Squall back towards the house, and he hurriedly snuck back inside, electing to pretend that he hadn't seen anything. 

The rest of the day carried on without anymore bizarre occurrences, the only variance being the lack of Seifer. By the time that Zell pulled up the covers of his bed, he was close to forgetting the events that had transpired that morning. His breathing was finally slowing and his eyes drooping, when suddenly his eyes opened wide, remembering something that he needed to do before sleeping. He slid out of bed.

Action carried out, he crept back underneath his blankets and smiled, satisfied. 

The next morning, the blonde was once again unadorned, and the brunette's neck was weighted with the heavy necklace securely fastened around it. 

It was better that way.


	16. Midgekin Fireworks

Disclaimer: All of the Orphanage Gang and co. are property of Squaresoft, and I'm sure there's a copyright or trademark on them. I'm getting absolutely no monetary income from this story, only wish that I were. Gella belongs to Harper, which reminds me; Happy Birthday, hon.   
  
  
  


Zell sat up, lunging forward suddenly. 

"Squall?" he asked, uncertainly. Zell's voice trembled with skittish unease, and he realized the foolish nature of his question. The sounds that had woken him up had been hushed voices, the patter of bare feet on stone. There was no way they could have been caused by Squall. Zell stayed frozen in the darkness, listening. There it was- a muffled laugh, distinct against the otherwise unbroken silence. A sudden, terrifying thought occurred to Zell- could the noises be the creatures that Seifer has told him about? They'd been called something. . .ah yes, midgekins. Tiny little Centran creatures that stole children away in the night; Zell remembered the conversation all too well.

i

"Hey, Zell- Wanna know somethin'?" Seifer had pulled him aside. 

"Uh. . . guess so. . ." Zell had responded. 

"Don't go outside too early or late or the midgekins are gonna get yoo." Seifer had warned.

"Midgekins?"

"Yoo know, the little people- with the little blue caps and da pointy faces and the weird laugh. They get your scent and then they gonna come look for you."  
/i  


At the time, Zell had thought that Seifer was just being mean and trying to scare him, but now, hearing laughter in the dark, he had no choice but to believe that the blonde had been telling the truth. He thought frantically- Seifer had never told him what to do if the midgekins came to get him. He desperately wished that Gella were there; she always had the answer.

"Zelly," She'd say, "Turn on light. Mebbe they're 'lergic to it." 

Zell smiled- that was a good idea. He could just picture the midgekins' wrinkled little faces cringing in the bright light of the lamp. Another muffled thump came from the direction of the stairs, followed by stifled giggles, and for the first time, Zell could understand what the voices were saying.

"Ow!" Came a girl's voice, causing a boy's voice to laugh.

"Sefie- yoo hafta watch were you're goin'!" Zell frowned, he could have sworn that the girl's voice belonged to Selphie, and the boy's voice sounded remarkably like- 

"Irvine?" Zell asked aloud. No answer, but the giggles came from the top of the stairway this time. Zell's fear and anxiety took a sudden drop-off as he realized that they weren't midgekins, just Selphie and Irvine. Zell wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by, so after sliding out of bed and pulling his favorite pair of shorts on, he crept up the steps and through the door. He opened the door slowly, as not to hit the night stand that stood perilously close, and found that the room was not as dark as he would have thought; light from the lighthouse streamed in the three stone-edged windows. Zell followed the sounds of the voices, crossing the room and almost tripping over the step to the doorway. He crossed through the small hallway quickly, the space was creepy at night, with the light-house throwing streaks of light into the hallway that made shadows seem to circle around and around him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw four figures by the door. "Seifer? Yoo sure Matwon won't mind?" Selphie asked. So that was Irvine, Selphie, and Seifer then. Who was the fourth?

"I told yoo, she won't care, 'sides Quisty and me are ultravising," Seifer answered, impatiently. 

"Supervising," Quistis corrected. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." The door shut behind them then, and Zell stopped, wondering if it was a good idea to follow them outside. Eventually, the desire to be involved outweighed his concern, and he slipped through the door into the warm outdoor air. The dark was still frightening, even outside, but it was frightening in a beautiful way. The sky was much farther above Zell than a confining ceiling could ever be, and instead of rough stone, the sky was patterned with swirls and speckles of light against a milky black background. As the beam of light from the light-house spun towards him, Zell squinted, and saw the four figures down at the beach below. The waves lapped dangerously close to where they stood, roaring, and reminding Zell of something else Seifer had told him about. Half-men half-fish creatures that inhabited the ocean at night, and leapt out of the waves, dragging anyone who got close enough into the inky depths of the water. Zell was almost positive that they were purely a creation of Seifer's imagination, but nagging at him was a hint of doubt. What if they really were real? What if he was dragged into the waves? Not being able to get away, not being able to swim, he would sink slowly to the bottom. . . and if by some lucky chance, the fish-men didn't get him, the real fish or the Fastitocalons might. Zell shook himself from his thoughts, this wasn't the time to terrify himself with 'what if's. The four figures had something lit now, were they lighting- fireworks? Zell ran for the stone steps leading down to the beach. 

"Yoooooo!!!" he shouted, causing the four to look up with a start. Seeing that it was only Zell, they ignored him. "Kids aren't suppose'ta play with fireworks!" The children weren't listening, Selphie was concentrating on holding the lit match, while the others watched, fire-light illuminating their expectant filled faces. Zell's hands clenched into frustrated fists, they always ignored him unless they were picking on him. "I'm tell-ing!!! I'm gonna tell on yoo!!!" This got their attention.

"Cry-Ba-by-Ze-ll!" Seifer jeered, blowing out the match and glaring at him.

"Go back to bed!" Quistis added, and Selphie and Irvine took this as their cue to join in. The night's silence was filled with shouts and taunts that became louder and louder, until a furious Edea burst through the door and stalked down the steps, past Zell to the beach. 

"What do you think you're doing out here at this hour?" She demanded. Her voice, deathly quiet, commanded immediate attention. She turned to Seifer. 

"We were. . . uhhmm. . ." For the first time, Seifer was completely at a loss for an explanation.

"You were. . .?" Edea pressed, her voice containing no trace of her normal kindly tone. No one made a move to answer her. "Making enough noise to raise Hyne? Lighting fireworks? Playing near the beach at night with absolutely no supervision?" Her voice's volume escalated until the last phrase could be plainly heard all along the beach, then fell back to the harsh whisper that was more dangerous than a shout. "Inside, now."

"Bu-but. . ." Zell protested.

"No buts. Inside." Edea commanded, in a voice that left no room for debate. Zell looked downwards, and meekly followed the somber group back up to the house. Zell went to bed for the second time that night, noting that Squall was still sleeping undisturbed in the bed on the left. 

The only sound during breakfast was that of the rain tapping it's cadence on the roof outdoors. Normally, there would have been plans being made; to run around outside in the rain getting soaked, and then come back inside to be greeted with hot chocolate and fluffy towels, but since last night, Edea had strictly prohibited Seifer, Quistis, Selphie, Irvine, and Zell from going outside. 

Aside from that, had Ellone been there, Squall would have been positively glowing at the prospect of have all of Sis's attention, but currently he was eating in silence like the rest of the children. After finishing, Squall silently slid from his place, and proceeded outdoors. Zell followed, the best he could, stopping at the window under Edea's watchful gaze. Squall stood between the stone pillars, an orange haze standing against a backdrop of sheeting water. He just stood there, staring into the rain, as if it held all of the answers, as if it could bring back Sis. 

Zell wasn't sure how long he spent peering out the window, watching Squall, but it seemed like an eternity had passed. Zell had a sudden though- Squall was going to make himself sick if he stood out in the rain any longer. Despite Matron's orders, Zell slipped through the door, and outside. 

"C'mon Squall, you're gonna get sick out here. . ." 

"I gotta wait for Sis," Squall answered stubbornly. 

"Yoo can wait by the window, kay?" Squall turned to look at the window, then turned back to Zell. He frowned reluctantly, but gave in.

"Okay." 

Edea saw Zell outside, directly disobeying her orders. But as she watched, Zell pointed towards the house, then led Squall back inside. Edea said nothing. True, Zell had done the exact opposite of what she'd told him to, but it had been for Squall's benefit, not his own. And besides, a moment longer and Edea would have gone out there herself. 


	17. Malice

Author's Note: I'm sorry that I haven't updated in awhile, but I haven't forgotten, nor will I ever forget this story. I know my updates during the non-summer months will be sporadic at best, so if you'd like me to email you when I upload a chapter, tell me via review (be sure to include your email if this is the case!). Thank you for reading ^_^.   
  
  
  


Malicious. The dictionary would have defined it as "Characterized by intense ill will or spite," but Zell would have defined it as "Seifer."

Ever since Seifer had been punished for the fish incident, he'd been tormenting Zell. Playing keep-away with anything Zell wanted, blaming him anytime anything was broken, calling him a crybaby. Calling him a crybaby was the most justified of all these things, but still, Zell didn't think it was fair. It wasn't fair that he got in trouble for things Seifer did, it wasn't fair Seifer was bigger than him, and it wasn't fair that Seifer picked on him. In the past, it hadn't been quite so bad as it was now; Squall had always been fair- telling Matron who was really the source of trouble - but ever since Ellone had disappeared, he'd become so withdrawn and self-absorbed that Zell wasn't even sure Squall lived at the Orphanage anymore. 

And now, with Squall mostly out of the picture, Seifer was having a field day.

It was the time of the year near the beginning of spring, when potential adopters came to visit the Orphanage, walking through the rooms, watching the children carefully, generally appraising them like prized chocobos. The children at the Orphanage viewed them with suspicion, maybe being orphans had made them cynical, but in their view, who would want to adopt them? Besides, the children that got alone well would never want any of their friends to leave the Orphanage. Logically, one would conclude that Seifer would want Zell to be adopted as quickly as possible, but to Zell, it seemed like the opposite was true. Seifer seemed to be trying the best he could to make sure that Zell would never be adopted.   
  
The first family to take an interest in Zell, a husband and wife, was the Halcyons. Both were quite short and stout, with dark eyes and dark hair that gave them a Galbadian look. They'd seen him playing with Selphie, and were captivated immediately by Zell's beguiling blue eyes. The two talked it over quickly, in hushed tones. This little boy seemed to be sweet and caring, not one to cause trouble. Just the kind of child they were looking for. While the Halcyons were talking about the prospect of adopting the blue-eyed moppet, Seifer saw his chance to make trouble. He ran abruptly over to where Zell and Selphie were playing, and shoved Zell down the small set of stairs. Landing on the stone hurt- Zell wailed and flung himself at Seifer, flailing his fists wildly. The pair of them fought furiously, until Zell managed to hit Seifer exceptionally hard, and Seifer howled. Edea rushed into the room, and escorted the children downstairs into the bedroom, making hearted apologies to the Halcyon family, who had long since decided that were not, in fact, going to adopt this wild little troublemaker.   
  
The next family to take interest was the Anders. Husband and wife along with baby girl, the wife had red hair that made Zell wish to be back at home in Balamb, with Gella and the Dinchts. Zell had no idea the family was considering adopting him, and he never would, for Seifer chose that very moment to grab Zell's favorite toy, a stuffed fish Edea had bought him to 'replace' the wooden fish, and throw it on top of a tall table so that Zell couldn't reach. His face scrunched up the way it always did before he threw a tantrum, and Zell sat down hard on the floor and started bawling. This time, Cid himself stepped in to end the situation. The Anders left then, without any adoption papers. 

Cid set Zell down on the edge of the narrow bed in the downstairs bedroom. Zell was clutching the recently retrieved stuffed fish tightly.

"Zell. . ." Cid began, "We need to have a talk."

"I do something wrong?" Zell asked, wide-eyed.

"No. . . but, I need to explain some things to you." Cid answered carefully.

"'Kay." 

"Zell, every child born in the world is like a seed. Some seeds get carried away by the wind, to a much different place then they started out. Those seeds are like you." Cid said, placing a large hand on Zell's shoulder. 

"I no be blowed away by wind." Zell told him.

"But somehow, you and all of the other children ended up here. Now, seeds need certain things to grow, like water and sunlight. The same thing is true for you. You need a family besides your family at the orphanage. But, some seeds don't always get a lot of water, or sunlight, yet they grow up to be strong and healthy plants. They're the ones that are just like you." Cid continued. 

"Don't understand." Zell said with pout, comically frowning at Cid's enigmatic speech.

"You're a survivor, Zell. Wherever you end up, wherever the wind blows you, whatever garden you grow in, you're never going to let the weeds choke you out, right?" Cid asked him earnestly. 

"Okay!" Zell chirped happily, still not actually understanding. Cid sighed. Maybe his similes were lost on the children after all.

Seifer's third effort at making sure Zell would never be adopted didn't quite go the way he'd planned.

"See them people?" Seifer asked Zell, pointing discreetly at the blonde couple gazing around the Orphanage. 

"Yeah. . ." Zell answered slowly.

"They're king and queen of the Midgekin! Yoo'd better hide!" Seifer said, faking anxiety. Zell's eyes grew large.

"Really?" he asked fearfully.

"Yeah! Run!" Zell took off at a jog. "Run! Hide!" Seifer yelled after him. Mission accomplished, Seifer sunk back against the wall and laughed. 

Zell was curled up in a ball under his bed, clutching the fish stuffed animal close to his chest. The door at the top of the steps leading down to the bedroom was open- Zell hadn't thought to close it in his haste to hide, and he could hear snatches of conversation through it. It sounded like Quistis. . .Quistis and two unfamiliar voices. The king and queen of the Midgekin. 

". . .name?" asked the queen.

". . .'s Quistis." 

". . .pretty name. . ." said the king.

". . .Thanks!"

"What. . .like. . .to do?" asked the queen, whom Zell had mentally named Midge.

". . .to read!" 

". . .wonderful for. . .your age. . ." commented the king, whom Zell had silently dubbed Kin.

". . .family is nice. . .you. . .think?" inquired Midge.

". . .oh yes." 

". . .be a part. . .family?" Asked Kin.

"Really?" 

". . .course." reassured Midge.  
  


Quistis was adopted soon after that. The next week, in fact. 

Quistis left, hopeful and sad at the same time. As she got into the small rented car with Cid, who was taking her to the nearest train station, the children waved to her through the sheeting Centran rain. All the children except Squall. 

"Squall, maybe someday, if you can be strong, you can go visit Quistis." Edea comforted, arm around his shoulders. Squall got tear in his eyes. Edea patted him on the head, not knowing that the real source of Squall's tears was Ellone and not hearing his last muttered remark, a complete misinterpretation of her promise. 

"Gotta be strong so I can see Sis Elle. . ."   
  



	18. Spencer

Disclaimer: I still don't own FinalFantasyVIII- Squaresoft does. Thanks to all for your patience and forbearance with my slow updates because I know I'm a horrible, horrible person who's neglected this for quite some time ^-^;;. And Gella still belongs to Harper, who is still the beta reader.

Zell woke up suddenly. He knew there was some reason he should be anxious about this day, but his mind was still fuzzy from sleep and he couldn't quite remember what it was he'd been so excited about. . . Wait- he was going home today! 

After an unbearable amount of legalities and red tape (thanks to Balamb's adoption requirements), the paperwork proclaiming the Dinchts as Zell's legal guardians had come through, and Zell was ready to be taken back to Balamb. Etta and Evan were expected to arrive at the Orphanage today, and Zell could hardly wait for them to get there. He was incredibly happy to finally be going home; home to Balamb, home to the Dinchts, and home to Gella. He felt a twinge of something at his own enthusiasm, though, nearly impossible to identify. Was it shame? Guilt? He felt like leaving shouldn't be such a joyous occasion, and yet. . . it was.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily, he padded over to his suitcase. He got out his favorite outfit, the same outfit he'd arrived at the Orphanage in nearly a year ago. It didn't fit him quite as well anymore, and it was slightly worse for wear. The only thing that looked exactly as it had in the past was the medal his grandpa had given to him, still attached to one of the straps. Zell smiled, looking at it. He'd get to see his Grandpa soon, too, he knew that his grandparents would take the opportunity to visit as soon as they could. After all, they hadn't seen him in nearly a year and a half. 

After he'd changed into his favorite outfit and stuffed the remainder of his possessions into his small suitcase (Had it gotten smaller since he'd first arrived?) he began continuing the routine that he followed every day of going upstairs for breakfast, but paused for a moment on the steps. Staring at one of the beds, he contemplated Seifer's prized possession, a stuffed teddy bear named Spencer. He was dark brown with a matching bow around his neck and Seifer usually never let him out of his sight. This morning, however, Spencer lay forgotten in a tangle of sheets on Seifer's bed. Looking around to make sure no one was watching him, Zell crept over to where the bear lay, snatched it, and clumsily jammed it into his suitcase. 

"Cause, ya know, Seifer got rid of fishie," Zell explained to Spencer before zipping up the bag. 

Finishing breakfast, Zell decided to say goodbye to his friends at the Orphanage. He found Selphie and Irvine just out back near the clothesline, playing tag. 

"Hey yoo!" Zell tried to get their attention. Irvine ran over to him, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Tag!" 

"But. . . 'm not playing!" Zell protested.

"Are now!" Irvine flashed a grin in Selphie's direction. "Run Sefie!" She giggled and crouched behind a pole of the clothesline. Zell crossed his arms impatiently.

"Guys!" Zell's outburst made Selphie frown. 

"Such a spoilsport, huh Irvy?"

"Don't need him anyways." 

"Tee hee- right! Alls I need's you!" 

"If 'ya don't need me, I guess I'll be on my way." Zell stalked back into the Orphanage angrily.

"What's with him?" 

Selphie shrugged in response.

Zell slammed the wooden door behind him. If Selphie and Irvine didn't want to say goodbye to him that was just fine. They'd miss him when he left- then they'd be sorry they hadn't said goodbye. Stomping up the stairs to his right, he was shoved out of the way as Seifer came hurtling into the room. 

"Outta my way!"

"Geez!" Zell scowled at Seifer. 

"Can't find Spencer! Move!" At that, Zell felt both a twinge of satisfaction and a twinge of guilt. He knew where Spencer was, of course. In his suitcase, not more than three feet away from where Seifer was frantically searching. Zell silently justified taking Spencer, reminding himself of what Seifer had done with his fish, how cruel he was, and how he deserved anything he got. Zell didn't bother saying anything more, he just took his suitcase and wandered through the main room into the kitchen. He was looking for Squall. Zell hadn't had a chance to say goodbye to him yet- hopefully this goodbye would go better than it had with Selphie and Irvine. He didn't find Squall in the kitchen; Cid was there instead. Cid smiled at Zell, but appeared preoccupied with something else. He seemed to forget that Zell was there and started muttering something to himself about gardens and seeds. 

"Seen Squall?" Zell interrupted Cid's thoughts. 

"Why, no, I haven't, actually." Cid seemed startled to discover that Zell was still in the room, and stared at him momentarily. Zell soon became uncomfortably aware that Cid's gaze was held by the medal Senzo had given to him, the one still attached to the strap of his shorts. "What is that you're wearing there?" 

"Medal. Grandpa gimme it."

"How very curious. . . could I see it for just a moment?" Zell's brow furrowed as he warily detached the medal and handed it over to Cid. "Interesting. . . interesting. . . almost shows a balance. . . the two halves that make up one whole, the black and the white. . . both united in one symbol. . . how very fitting. . ." 

Zell gave Cid a funny look. "Can I have it back?" 

"Ah, yes, of course, of course. I'd just like to sketch it for a moment, if you don't mind."

"'Kay. . ." 

Cid, attention still focused on the medal, scribbled a small sketch of it in the corner of a paper napkin, then reluctantly gave it back to the impatient five-year-old. Zell shot Cid another funny look as he exited the kitchen. Cid was nice enough, in his opinion, but sometimes that guy was just weird. 

Zell finally found Squall in the side yard of the Orphanage, sitting half-hidden behind the large leaves of a plant. 

"Um. . .Squall?" Squall paid no attention to Zell at first, continuing to stare blankly at the sky. Zell tried again. "Hey Squ-all. . .?" This time Squall blinked in recognition.

"Hm?" 

"I. . .uh. . . came 'ta say bye. . ." Zell fidgeted with the handle of his suitcase. Squall's face, usually pale, lost even more color than it usually possessed, and his eyes widened in confusion.

"What?" 

". . .I'm going home." 

"But. . .but. . ." Squall's -expression twisted into one that Zell hadn't seen since Ellone had left the Orphanage. It was an expression of complete, unfeigned, loss. 

"Yeah, but'm sure I'll see 'ya again." Zell had stopped fidgeting and was now clutching the suitcase handle like it was a matter of survival. Squall's -expression hardened. Maybe it was at the loss of the two people at the Orphanage that he cared about, or maybe he felt like everyone was making him false promises, but all the grief vanished from his face, replaced by hostility. 

"No!" Now it was Zell's turn to be confused. "Good you leaving cause I don't wanna see you never ever!" This wasn't going better than it had with Selphie and Irvine. In fact, it was going far worse, if that was possible. 

"Then me too! Glad I'm leavin!" Zell stomped through a door for the second time that day, suitcase swinging haphazardly behind him. History chose to repeat itself; Seifer was now searching for Spencer in the room Zell just entered, and growing more and more hysterical by the minute.

"Spencer! Spencer?!" Seifer made an odd choked noise and when Zell looked over at him, Seifer was. . .crying? 

"You okay?" Zell hadn't thought Seifer would take losing Spencer so hard. What was so special about a stuffed bear? 

"Leave me alone!" 

"...'kay..." Zell couldn't take it anymore, he just had to return Spencer to Seifer, but how could he give it back without Seifer blowing up at him? After slipping past Seifer and down the steps into the bedroom and making sure Seifer hadn't followed him, Zell quickly took Spencer out of his suitcase and hid him under the bed. Then, sneaking back upstairs, he decided to casually mention checking in the bedroom to the still sniffling blonde.

"Hey, Seifer? Did'ja look in the bedroom?" 

"Yeah. Not stupid." A glare accompanied this remark. 

"Maybe, if 'ya look again, it's there?" 

"I said I looked!" 

"Well... not like 'ya got anything to lose."

"Fine, but just so I can prove it's not there!" Seifer disappeared into the bedroom. Zell smiled to himself- Seifer would eventually find it now. 

The Dinchts arrived just then, with a knock at the door and a warm greeting from Edea. Zell, dropping his suitcase, flung himself into Etta's arms.

"Ma!" 

"Zelly, we missed you so much!"

"You've gotten a lot taller, Zell," added Evan. Zell was still in Etta's arms, head buried in her shoulder. "Let's go, kiddo, all right?" Zell nodded enthusiastically into Etta's shoulder as Evan picked his suitcase up off the floor. 

"Edea, thank you for taking such good care of Zell," Etta said. 

"Oh, no trouble, really." 

Sobbing into Etta's shoulder as she walked out the door, the last thing Zell heard before leaving the Orphanage was a joyful shout from Seifer.

"Matron! Matron! I found Spencer!"


	19. Salt Water

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- "The Boy From Balamb: Zell's Story" 1. is a fanfic by SorchaZell 2. is edited by Harper 3. is based on the world of ff8, which is owned by Squaresoft  
  
Gella and her family 1. are Harper's and 2. are borrowed for this story with permission ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------- "Cold-cold-cold!" Zell shrieked, hopping around in the shallow water and yanking at the buckle of his rather uncomfortable life-jacket. Etta Dincht laughed and scooped Zell up into her arms.  
  
"Zellykins, that's part of learning to swim!" she reassured Zell, then set him back down a few feet away. "Now don't you go any further from me then that." Etta turned her gaze to Gella, who was standing a ways off from the shore looking apprehensively at the ocean. "What about you? Going to learn to swim, or just window shopping?"  
  
".it's . . . scary," Gella finally replied, gazing nervously at the water. "Cold too!" she added, watching Zell still frantically hopping.  
  
"Etta, is this such a good idea? I mean, if Gella doesn't want to, I can always take her back home," put in Mabel Shym, taking the orange water-wing she was blowing up out of her mouth long enough to comment. Zell stopped hopping and shot Gella a pleading look.  
  
"I want to!" Gella protested, although it was with some trepidation. By now, Zell was sitting cross-legged in the water, half-soaked and closely scrutinizing the bright multicolored fish on his swim trunks.  
  
"Up you go!" Etta lifted Zell from under his arms and set him down on dry sand. "Mabel? Got them all inflated?"  
  
"I sure do!" Mabel replied cheerily, tossing two of the water-wings to Etta.  
  
"Thank y- Zell! You have to wear them, no arguments!" Zell's arms were crossed stubbornly, and his face was an almost a musing portrayal of indignation.  
  
"Don't wanna!" Now Zell stomped his foot to accentuate his point.  
  
"Please, Zell?" Etta gave him a pleading glace; he'd been rebellious the entire week, something he seemed to have picked up from the orphanage.  
  
"Don't wanna!" Etta sighed, Zell was unrelenting in arguments like this; it could go on all day if she didn't come up with a way to convince him. She wracked her brain for a solution, and finally came up with a brilliant idea.  
  
"Alright, you don't have to wear the water-wings on one condition," She proposed. Zell tilted his head to the side, wondering what the catch was.  
  
"What condition?" he asked suspiciously.  
  
"Gella has to go back home," Etta responded matter-of-factly.  
  
"Huh?!" Zell didn't understand how Gella being sent back home would relate to not wearing the water-wings.  
  
"I'm sure Mabel wouldn't want her little girl hanging around someone who's a bad influence. Even I wouldn't want her hanging around you if you were going to have a bad effect on her." Etta looked pointedly at Mabel, silently willing her to chime in with agreement.  
  
"Oh! Yes, I suppose we would have to go home if Zell was a bad influence, Gella." Mabel gave Etta a knowing smile.  
  
"No! Ze-ell!" Now it was Gella's turn to shoot Zell a pleading look. "I wanna swim!" Zell pouted, but he caved quickly to the demands and the two children both accepted a pair of the water-wings; Zell more grudgingly than Gella.  
  
Though Gella had been more reluctant to get in the water, she liked it better than Zell did once she was in. She spent quite a lot of time with her goggles underwater, trying to catch sight of a stray fish, or some underwater plant life. She didn't see much else underwater besides sand, but once she caught sight of something shimmering below the surface in the distance. It looked purplish . . . or was it just dark blue? Maybe it was just a deeper part of the water. Maybe it was even just floating litter; tourists in Balamb sometimes disrespected its beautiful ocean, throwing their garbage into it rather than taking the time to find a garbage can. It looked awfully big, though, and Gella looked above the surface to see if she could catch sight of whatever it was. She saw a flash of what could have been a tail and gulped. Maybe it was a monster. Overall though, Gella thought it was quite nice floating in the water. Zell wasn't having as good a time. He was rapidly discovering how much he didn't like water. It was too closed in; he was afraid with all that water surrounding him that it was going to swallow him up and carry him off. He looked enviously towards Gella. She was having a wonderful time in the water, gliding around as though she'd been swimming all her life. Gravity interrupted that thought as Zell slipped on something half-buried in the ocean's sandy floor and took an unexpected dip downwards. Thanks to the various floating devices he was clad in, he bobbed right back up, but it still threw him off balance and didn't help his already-increasing dislike of the ocean. He frowned and stuck his head underwater, trying to figure out what it was that he had stepped on. Yes, there was something there, faintly shining in the sun-lines that patterned the ocean bottom. The life- jacket and water-wings were interfering with his efforts to determine what exactly the object was. He huffed in frustration and decided to use a different technique than trying to dive underwater. He felt for the object with his feet and upon coming in contact with it, curled his toes around it. While floundering back towards the shore with his feet firmly clutching his treasure, curiosity got the better of him, and he pulled off the goggles he was wearing that were fogging up anyway. He howled; the salt water in his eyes burned! Etta came to the rescue, gently towing him the rest of the way to the shore.  
  
"What've you got there, Zelly?" she asked, noticing what he was still gripping with his feet. He looked towards the object.  
  
"Stepped on it," he explained with a nod. For a brief instant Etta feared that the object was actually embedded in Zell's foot, but that fear was quickly dispelled when Zell uncurled his toes and stood up, sending the object rolling back towards the water. Zell made an impressive dive towards it to stop it before it became a part of the ocean floor again. Before it was completely lost to the sea again, he managed to grab it, and for the first time everyone got a clear look at what it was. It looked like a rock, except that its size, shape, and color weren't at all rock-like. It was perfectly spherical and it was about the size of a closed fist. The sphere was a greasy looking smokey-white color and it had a surprising glow to it. It was almost like there was something inside; something special, just waiting to be unlocked. Something that felt almost like the ocean. . .  
  
Zell blinked. For the second when he'd touched the sphere, it had felt like being in the water again. He couldn't quite understand why, but it was that same feeling; a fearsome power with an unmistakable pull that felt surprisingly similar to the pull of the current. That same power that left him feeling cold and weak and very. . . lonely.  
  
"A Water Crystal?" Etta looked faintly puzzled. "Well, if that doesn't just beat all- the chances of finding one of these in the sand? It's like the chances of finding a needle in a haystack. A really big haystack." Zell eyed the crystal dubiously, it didn't look all that impressive to him.  
  
"What's so special 'bout it?" he asked doubtfully. Etta smiled- she'd asked almost the exact same question when she was a child. Water Crystals didn't look very remarkable, but inside they concealed a secret that many people didn't know about.  
  
"If someone can get me a rock- a normal one!- I'll show you," Etta promised. Mabel gave her an equally as curious look as Gella and Zell did. Etta only grinned in return. "You'll see. . ." was the only further thing she said.  
  
After Zell and Gella had run up and down the shore for awhile, Gella finally found a suitably sized rock half-hidden in the sand. She beamed as Etta thanked her for finding it.  
  
"Now the magic begins," Etta said with an expectant grin. She took the rock and chiseled at the top of the crystal with it. Suddenly, the crystal made a high-pitched shattering noise and the top of it collapsed in on itself, turning the sphere into an upside-down dome. The three observers leaned closer, wondering what the 'magic' Etta talked about was- was it going to become whole again? "Look inside."  
  
"Oh!" Mabel exclaimed.  
  
"Oooh- neat!" Gella said, peering into the half-crystal.  
  
"Awesome!" Zell was amazed at the clear blue water filling the inside of the crystal.  
  
"There you have it, the Water Crystal's secret," Etta said, then unexpectedly took a sip of the water. "A stranded person's best friend, right there. Zelly- and Gella too -if ever you get lost and you don't have drinking water, your best bet is one of these things, if you're lucky enough to find one."  
  
"You can drink that stuff?" Zell looked at his ma as if she was suddenly going to sprout gills and fins and swim away. Etta just laughed. "Of course. Did you see how clear that water was? It's probably safer to drink then the water in Balamb is!"  
  
"Speaking of Balamb-water, shouldn't we get back to the swimming lesson?" Mabel raised her eyebrows and looked suggestively at her watch.  
  
Gella raced to get back into the water, whereas Zell was slow to follow. The ocean was cold and dark- and had he mentioned that it was cold?  
  
Zell was just about to ask when they were going to go home when he felt movement in the water, dangerously close to his foot. He froze, hoping desperately that it was some kind of fish and not a Fastitocalon. It was some kind of fish alright- Zell ventured a gaze underwater and managed to catch of glimpse of what looked part of a gigantic blue snake before he decided that screaming bloody murder was in order.  
  
"Zell!" Suddenly Etta had a flashback to the day her sister had been taken by the ocean, the very same ocean her baby was screaming from now. She ran towards him, legs pounding slowly- too slowly!- though the water. She had to get there, she had to save him; the ocean wasn't going to take anymore of her family away from her. . .  
  
Zell could see the creature curl in the water and suddenly it exploded, turning into a surge of water so strong that it washed the entire group back onto the shore, leaving them gasping and shivering.  
  
"Could it be? Leviathan?" Mabel whispered in astonishment.  
  
"Leviathan is just a legend!" Etta said, though not very convincingly. And though Etta claimed it was nothing more than a story and they shouldn't be afraid, it didn't stop any of them from quickly packing up and hurrying home. 


	20. Time for a Tale

"The Boy From Balamb: Zell's Story" is:*a fanfic by Sorcha Zell *edited by Harper *based on the world of ff8, which is owned by Squaresoft  
  
Gella and her family are: *Harper's *borrowed for this story with permission  
  
Evan's parents were staying with the Dinchts for the week; true to Zell's prediction, his grandpa and grandma had wanted to take the first opportunity to come visit. Etta was just asking Senzo if she could fix him something to eat when the phone rang.  
  
"Dincht residence." Etta wasn't sure who would be calling her at this time of day. Maybe it was Mabel? After all, three out of four Shym kids were currently at the Dincht household. In fact, Kassidy, Gella's three-month- old sister was presently cradled in Etta's arms, which forced Etta to hold the phone awkwardly between her shoulder and her ear.  
  
"Hey, honey." Etta was pleasantly surprised to find that it was Evan's voice on the other end of the telephone line.  
  
"Evan! So, what's going on?" It was unusual for Evan to call so early in the day; it was only noon. For a minute, Etta was concerned there was something wrong.  
  
"Well, work finished up a little earlier than I expected, so I was thinking maybe we could get together and have lunch at the hotel's restaurant?" Evan sounded exceptionally cheerful, work must have gone well that day.  
  
"Well... I'd love to-"  
  
"Great!" Etta laughed a bit at Evan's enthusiasm.  
  
"Hold on, there's a 'but'," She admitted ruefully.  
  
"Aw, there can't be a 'but'. Please come?" Evan said in cajoling voice. He must have had a really good day; it wasn't all that often that Evan was in such a silly mood.  
  
"Well, I would, except that the but is: 'but what about Zelly, Gella, Dylan, and Kass?'" Zell and the Shym kids certainly weren't old enough to stay by themselves yet, and Etta was currently in the middle of baby- sitting them.  
  
"My parents would love to watch them, I'm sure of it. Here, I'll ask them, could you put one of them on the phone?" Etta raised her eyebrows and gave the phone a look that Evan couldn't see, but did as he had asked. Feeling like she would be intruding if she stayed in the room, Etta decided to take Kassidy and see what the other kids were doing.  
  
"We're gonna go check on your brother and sister and Zelly, oh yes we are," Etta said to Kassidy, rocking her a little as they walked.  
  
The all-too-hyper shrieks she heard as she neared the living room made Etta increase her speed. Renny, Zell's grandma, was temporarily supervising the children, but to be honest she could be a pushover. The brighter side of that, though, was how Renny's easygoing personality nicely balanced out Senzo's gruffness. As Etta stood in the doorway, she tried to make sense of the picture before her. Renny was sitting in a chair holding Dylan, the near two-year-old of the Shym children, while Zell and Gella were playing some type of game. What game could possibly involve one kid throwing beanbags while the other ducked and darted, Etta wasn't sure, but it looked like the kind of game that threatened to break quite a few items in the house.  
  
"Renny, do you think maybe they could play something less. . . destructive? " Etta didn't want to offend the women- Renny was such a sweet person -but Etta couldn't stand there and watch the kids tear up the house, either. Renny gave her an woeful look.  
  
"Sorry. Do they have coloring books, or something else you'd rather they do? Building blocks maybe?" Renny asked, still looking apologetic.  
  
"Ha!" Came a booming voice from behind Etta. "I've got something much more entertaining than ink on paper and pieces of wood." Senzo said with absolute confidence. Zell and Gella paused their game to look up at him inquisitively. Even Dylan looked interested  
  
"Better than coloring books?" Gella asked, awestruck at the possibility.  
  
"Better than blocks?" Zell added, equally awestruck.  
  
"I didn't know you brought along a new toy for Zell-kins," Renny said, in the dark as to what Senzo was talking about.  
  
"Not a toy, Renny," Senzo corrected, "a tale. How do you feel about stories? Zell? Gella? Dylan?" Gella and Zell's faces immediately lit up at the idea, and Dylan nodded approvingly . The two older children raced up to Zell's room as fast as their short little legs could carry them. They were intent on grabbing as many pillows as possible to create their own little story-den in the living room.  
  
"And you, my dear, should be scurrying off to meet Evan, hm?" Senzo continued, turning to look at Etta. Etta made a face; she felt like meeting Evan for lunch would mean shirking on her baby-sitting responsibilities. "Now don't give me that look, we'll hold down the fort," Senzo assured. "Really, we will, it's no trouble. Senzo can keep the littles entertained and under control, and I can look into getting them something to snack on, okay?" Renny said, giving Etta a reassuring mother-to-mother smile.  
  
"You're sure it's alright? Evan's not somehow forcing you to do this?" Etta asked, making sure one last time. Senzo gave her an annoyed look. He didn't like having to convince people of things that were obviously true. Catching his look, Etta handed Kassidy over to him and decided to make a hasty exist, taking time only to grab her purse and a light jacket before leaving.  
  
"I almost feel bad for Etta, she's always so worried about everything," Renny said, adjusting the blanket Kass was wrapped in. A comment about the irony of that statement was gnawing at the back of Senzo's mind, but he said nothing, opting instead to go see what Gella and Zell were up to. Renny, equally as curious, followed him, stopping to watch from the doorway of the living room.  
  
Gella and Zell were tottering down the stairs carrying what must have been every single pillow and blanket known to Zell's room. Trying to carry four fleece blankets and nearly half a dozen pillows of all sizes and patterns, Gella and Zell looked like a pair of walking bed-sets. If you used the term 'walking' loosely. Renny looked horrified; one of the kids could trip over a trailing edge of a blanket and fall down the steps- it was a disaster waiting to happen. Senzo solved the problem by handing Dylan to Renny, then scooping up Gella and Zell, blankets and all, and setting them down at the bottom of the steps.  
  
"My goodness, you two have to be more careful on the steps, one of you could have gotten hurt!" Renny chided, still imagining everything that could have gone wrong.  
  
"Calm down, Renny, neither one got hurt," Senzo said, taking two blankets and many more pillows from Gella and Zell in an attempt to make the rest easier for them to manage. Finally, after a bit more struggling, they were able to arrange the blankets and pillows on the floor in a way that everyone was happy with. "So," Senzo began, settling into a chair, "What story would you like me to tell?" Zell thought for a moment and then had an idea.  
  
"Do you know a story about something called Leviathan?" he asked hopefully. Senzo grinned.  
  
"Of course. Once, when the world began there was a god called Hyne. The world then was a mess of monsters, even more so than it is today."  
  
"Really?" Zell asked, disbelievingly. There were so many monsters in the world already, it was hard for him to image a world with more monsters.  
  
"Really and truly," Senzo said, nodding, "and the 'monsters' of that time were much more humanlike, not to mention much more intelligent. Hyne wanted to have total control, so-"  
  
"Did he get rid of the smart monsters?" Zell interrupted. Gella looked puzzled.  
  
"But then where'd the dumb monsters now come from?" she asked. Senzo gave both children a look that meant he wasn't exactly appreciative of the interruption.  
  
"As I was saying, he didn't destroy the monsters, instead he fought and defeated them so they would do his bidding," Senzo continued. Now it was Zell's turned to be confused.  
  
"Do his bidding?"  
  
"It means they'd do what he said, sweetie," Renny answered, rocking Kassidy, who by now was almost asleep.  
  
"Hyne was exhausted from fighting so many battles and had no more energy to put into creating the world he wanted. So he decided to make 'people' to do his work for him while he rested."  
  
"I'd be tired, too," Gella put in. Senzo was now starting to doubt his patience for storytelling, but continued anyway.  
  
"Before he went to sleep, he chose the fourteen strongest 'monsters' he'd defeated to supervise humans. Leviathan was one of these 'monsters' along with Quetzacotl, Shiva, Ifrit, Siren, Minotaur and Sacred, Diablos, Carbuncle, Leviathan, Pandemona, Cerberus, Alexander, Doomtrain, Bahamut, and Eden."  
  
"That's a lot..." Zell said, amazed that there were more creatures like Leviathan out there.  
  
"Definitely." Gella nodded emphatically.  
  
"Actually," Senzo added, "there were two 'monsters' even stronger than those fourteen, so strong that Hyne didn't have enough energy left to control them. They were Odin and Tiamat. Now, after Hyne had rested, he decided to take a look at the world that was supposed to have been formed while he was asleep. But he was surprised at the number of people; many more people than there had been at the beginning. The plan Hyne had to lessen the number of people in the world was to get rid of the children, because they weren't able to do as much work anyway." Zell exchanged a frightened look with Gella and gulped. They were children.  
  
"Oh, no worries, this all happened tons of years ago," Renny reassured them.  
  
"Yes, it was a very long time ago. Anyway, the world had changed while Hyne was sleeping. The supervising monsters had grown to resent Hyne, and instead of protecting him like he had expected, the 'monsters' sided with the humans, and aided them in their quest to stop him from taking away the children. Finally the humans cornered him."  
  
"So we won?" Zell asked his grandpa, brightening at that thought.  
  
"Actually, Hyne tricked the humans. He gave half of himself up, and the other half ran off while the people were distracted."  
  
"But. . . that's kind of winning though," Gella reasoned, hesitantly.  
  
"Ah, but the half Hyne gave up was the weaker half, the wicked half," Senzo said, wagging a finger, "while the Hyne that ran away was the half with the stronger magic. When the captured half of Hyne disappeared, the corrupt magic was absorbed by a young girl."  
  
"Like me?" Gella asked.  
  
"Well... I suppose. Anyway, Hyne was the one who started the succession of power. The people who inherit Hyne's power are called descendants of Hyne. You probably know them as Sorceresses." Senzo answered.  
  
"Could I end up a Sorceress someday?" It would be interesting, Gella had to admit.  
  
"It's not something you'd want to happen. The chances of that are minuscule, too," Senzo told her, while Renny nodded, further supporting his point. Zell thought about what would happen if his best friend was ever one of the legendary, but feared, Sorceresses.  
  
"Don't worry, Gella, 'cause I'd always be your friend, even if you were a Sorceress," he promised.  
  
But five minutes later, the thought had left both of their minds as Senzo began the story of how he'd won his medal during the Sorceress War. 


	21. Selebraise

"Zell! Stop squirming so much!" Etta Dincht protested as she very nearly got clubbed by Zell's left leg while he hopped around wildly, trying to get into his costume.

"Almost got it!" returned Zell, determined to do it himself. A little while longer and he _still_ wasn't having much success with the furry green suit-- his Carbuncle outfit was trickier to put on than it looked. The outfit was basically modeled from the same pattern as one-piece zip-up pajamas with footies, except with the addition of a hood. The large red gem sewn onto it made it tricky to manage; as Zell windmilled his arms, its weight made the hood flip this way and that, even managing to turn inside-out once or twice. The dangling material forming the ears was causing Zell even more trouble. It was swinging in front of his eyes and blocking his vision every time he moved his head. With an impatient yelp, Zell grabbed one of the bothersome ears.

"Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly, yanking the fabric even harder.

"You're going to rip it before anyone even gets the chance to see it!" Etta chided, lightly tapping Zell's hand to get him to let go. "The Shyms are going to be here any minute, and this will go much faster if I help." Etta sent him a look, placing her hands on her hips for further emphasis. Putting on the costume required a certain dexterity that Zell's small fingers lacked, and they'd be here all day if Zell insisted on doing it himself.

"Okay..." Zell allowed, but showed his resentment by crossing his arms and pouting. Etta couldn't help but chuckle at the strange spectacle of a disgruntled Carbuncle, which served only to deepen Zell's frown. With Etta's help, the whole process went much faster, and Etta was just zipping up Zell's costume when the Shyms arrived. With their arrival, suddenly the Dincht's front entryway was filled with people.

"Mabel, you've outdone yourself again!" Etta remarked, observing the costumes of Paul, Gella, and Dylan. Paul and Gella had coordinating costumes- Both had purple face paint and purple clothes with different colored shirts made from tank tops and felt. With Gella in grey and blue and Paul in red and black, they made the perfect Minotaur and Sacred. The detail was remarkable, right down to the headbands with horns that were color coordinated with the outfits, of course.

"Oh, it really is just too much fun," Mabel replied, smiling ruefully and adjusting Dylan's sweatshirt. Dylan was outfitted in an entire dark green sweatshirt-sweat pants ensemble that was decorated with light green vertical stripes. He kept pulling at his headband, which had painted cardboard spikes sticking up from it. "Is my little Cactuar doing okay?" Mabel asked Dylan, patting him on the back. He nodded, then scowled as his headband slipped down his forehead.

"Is that what I think it is?" Etta asked, glimpsing Mabel's baby backpack as she turned to attend to Dylan. "Go on, spin around," Etta directed. Mabel obliged, and Etta got a good look at the carrier holding Gella's baby sister. "Felt needles to go with Cactuar! Really, you're just too much sometimes. And Kass, you're adorable."

"Too much with a little too much to keep track of," Mabel laughed.

"I thought Keagan was helping you keep track of the kids?" Etta said, gathering up her keys, a camera, and some snacks and stashing them in a large beige tote.

"I thought so too, but some of those climbers from Galbadia took the Timber train here and. . . didn't exactly realize that our mountains are much different than the cliffs they have over there," Mabel cringed. "They needed the closest person with medical knowledge they could find." Etta shook her head. Every year Balamb got so many tourists during Selebraise that something unfortunate was bound to happen. It was amazing how many people the festival drew in. Officially, it was advertized as "A Celebration of Myths and Monsters, Fact and Fiction!", but over the years it had basically evolved into a giant fantasy-themed carnival. There was a children's parade, games, rides, demonstrations, fireworks, basically everything imaginable. People from all over the world came to Selebraise to experience fun Balamb-style.

"Uh oh, it seems we've left the kids to their own devices for too long," Etta observed, noticing that Paul, Gella, and Zell were no longer inside the house. Mabel took Dylan's hand and the group left the Dincht residence to find Gella and Zell playing some version of hop-scotch and Paul supervising, which was made particularly comical by virtue of the fact that they were all in costume.

"Come on, stragglers," Mabel told them, leading the way to the train station, which was the designated starting point of the children's parade. The parade route wove all through town before finally ending at Balamb Hotel, where the participants gathered for awards. Etta checked her watch. They were surprisingly right on schedule, perhaps even ahead of schedule; they had about ten minutes before the parade was supposed to begin, quite enough time to get there and get in place.

* * *

By the end of the parade, the cheer of the group was slightly more strained. Zell was complaining loudly about his costume– the tail made it impossible for him to sit down comfortably, and _everyone_ was hearing about it. Etta and Mabel were more miffed at the results of the parade than anything else. Despite Gella and Paul taking second prize, Zell taking third and the whole lot winning ribbons, they were rather disgruntled by the first prize winner: a teenager who claimed to be dressed as Hyne as his costume. Despite the time obviously invested in his costume, the women felt like it was a copout. After all, who knew what Hyne actually looked like? In an effort to improve both the spirits and comfort of the group, Etta and Mabel took the children back home to change back into regular clothes before reconvening.

* * *

"Zelly!" Gella cried, tugging at his sleeve. Since the sights, sounds, and colors surrounding him had a monopoly on his attention, it took Zell a moment to realize she was talking to him.

"Huh?" Zell responded, finally tearing his gaze away from a particularly skilled pair of jugglers.

"Look!" Gella pointed at one of the many signs lining the street. The blues and greens of this particular sign had caused it to fade into the background compared to the more vibrant-hued signs all around. But it was the background of the sign that made the kids stop and stare in wonder– it was a portrait of a giant water beast Gella and Zell were all too familiar with.

"Lev-ee-ah-thun... umm... lunch?" Zell read without much success.

"It's Leviathan Launch," came Paul's voice. Gella's fifteen-year-old brother had gotten stuck with the task of supervising the two five year-olds. The perk of the job, though, was that his mother had left him with two entire sheets of tickets. And, of course, just the fact that his mother had left him."Go for it."

"Win one for the guppy, Zelmer!" Gella cheered, jumping up and down with excitement.

"Uh, it's 'win one for the gipper', actually," Paul said, giving her a strange look.

"What_ever_!" Gella retorted, sticking out her tongue at her older brother, then giggling as her annoyance dissolved into amusement. Zell paid little attention to their banter. All the concentration he could gather was focused on the game and how it worked. As far as Zell could figure, it wasn't that complicated. There were rows and rows of narrow-mouthed fishbowls in various shades of blue lined up on the table, and the object of the game was to throw a ping-pong ball so that it landed inside of one of the bowls. It didn't really look all _that_ difficult.

Twenty tries and four tickets later, Zell realized the reality of the situation. It _was_ just a littletrickier than it looked . . .

"Look, do you want me to try for you?" Paul suggested, growing impatient. He'd been waiting there for what seemed like forever, and if Zell was going to use up all the tickets on a game that was probably too hard for him–

"No!" Zell's chin jutted out stubbornly, and he crossed his arms and glared.

"Fine, fine," Paul relented, adjusting his shirt self-consciously for about the eight-hundredth time. It was his new favorite shirt, a grey tee with solid orange profiles of the members of The Moombas, an up-and-coming rock band with a penchant for having hairstyles much like their namesake. His mom had finally given in and bought it for him for being such a help with the younger kids. It was a well-deserved present, too, he thought. "But just one last ticket, which means you only get five more ping-pong balls to throw, and then we move on to something else, okay?" Both Gella and Zell sent him their best puppy-dog looks, but Paul didn't lose his resolve.

"'Kay," Zell agreed, not looking too happy about it. He really wanted to win one of those neat little fishes that everyone else seemed to be managing to win so easily. He threw one of his last five balls. _Plink. . . Plink. . . _It hit the rims of two bowls then bounced off the table lamely. Pretty much the same thing happened twice more, and by then, Paul was starting to wonder if Zell would throw a tantrum if he couldn't do it. _Plink. . . Plink. . . Plop! _Zell stared at the fishbowl in amazement.

"Mine! I won! I won!" Zell exclaimed, hopping around and pointing excitedly at the bowl that contained his second-to-last ping-pong ball.

"You won, you won!" Gella joined in, also jumping up and down.

"Congratulations, then," said the man running the booth, coming over to give Zell his prize. "Now, would you like a goldfish or a beta fish?" he asked, gesturing toward the large aquarium on the middle of the tabletop. Zell squinted at the fish-tank, trying to pick the best fish possible.

"Beta," he finally decided.

"Okay kiddies, time for the next activity of your choosing," Paul reminded the kids. This time they listened to him a little bit too well and dashed off into the crowd. Paul sighed. It wasn't easy being a babysitter.

"Okay, here's the deal, you guys," Paul said when he finally caught up with the mischievous pair. He panted just a little bit from chasing after them– Seriously, he was getting too old for this. "You have to stay with me at all times," he continued when he'd managed to catch his breath again.

"Aw!" Gella protested, setting her sandal-clad feet and stubbornly putting her hands on her hips.

"No fair!" Zell whined, stomping around, for all of two seconds until his attention was captured by his new pet. Paul took the opportunity to distract the kids from their complaints.

"You still have to name your fish," Paul pointed out. Gella and Zell's faces brightened up considerably.

"Yeah! We gotta!" Zell exclaimed. Gella nodded in agreement, causing her pink bucket hat to slip down over her eyes. She made a face, then straightened it. They tossed around countless names, everything from Flounder to Gill to Fluffy (which made Paul question how normal these kids were) before Gella finally came up with the winner.

"Leviathan?" she suggested.

"Perfect!" Zell agreed. "Ooh, he can be Levi for short!" he added. "Levi-Leviathan, Levi-Leviathan, Levi-Leviathan!" Zell sang. Even Paul couldn't come up with any better response than a laugh and a shake of his head– and a growl of the stomach. It was definitely time for lunch.

"C'mon, you two. I'm getting hungry." Paul direct. A self-conscious teen and two bouncy children made for an interesting sight as they traveled down the path to the Balamb Hotel. All the food vendors were set up inside the hotel, with tables and booths arranged in every available space of the circular room. The variety was amazing– all sorts of food roasting, baking, and wafting wonderful smells that were drawing more people in from the road every minute. The group of three stuck close together as they navigated the crowds to buy food. Gella tugged on Paul's hand as they came to a booth selling all colors of cotton candy.

"You know Mom's going to have a fit if she finds out you had cotton candy for dinner," Paul warned. Gella just gave him a sweet, pleading smile. "Well. . ." he considered, "I guess one day won't kill you." Paul couldn't help it. What kind of big brother would he be if he denied his kid sister cotton candy? "Just don't let Mom find out."

"Thank you, Pauly," Gella chirped in a sing-song voice.

Zell used the same approach on Paul to get a plate of baked Balamb Fish (which wouldn't have been difficult anyway– the fish was much healthier than the sweets) that he wolfed down, nearly choking once or twice in his haste.

Paul himself decided to go with the 'one day won't kill you' theory and have a funnel cake. Despite being deep-fried and probably the most unhealthy dinner option there, it was absolutely delicious. Unfortunately for Paul, the dessert proved problematic. He made the mistake of inhaling while the funnel cake was too close to his mouth and ended up coughing and wheezing as he got a lungful of powdered sugar. The powdered sugar served to further annoying Paul when Zell helpfully pointed out that it had left little white trails all over his T-shirt.

At about 6 o'clock p.m., Paul took Zell and Gella back to the Dincht house to meet up with Mabel and Etta. The three stood outside waiting for them, but Evan Dincht came home from work first and let them in.

"I hope you weren't stuck outside too long," he said, flipping on the lights.

Nope!" Zell answered, hugging Evan, who picked him up and tousled his hair affectionately.

"How're you doing, kiddo?" Evan asked.

"I won a fish!" Zell declared proudly, as though that entirely answered the question. Paul help up the fish ruefully, suddenly realizing that the Dinchts might not _want_ a fish.

"Drafted to be the one who carries it, huh?" Evan chuckled. "Looks like you won the best one," he said to Zell, who beamed with pride. "You can come all the way in, you know..." Evan told Paul and Gella, who were both standing rather awkwardly by the door, unsure of where to go. They weren't very used to dealing with just Evan, either. He worked so much they didn't see him very often and so it was even more rare that they encounter him without Etta. Evan seemed to realize that. "I'm sure Et and Mabs will be back soon," he assured them.

Paul was momentarily confused by 'Et and Mabs'– he was so used to hearing the full names that the shorter version threw him for a moment. He supposed he should have expected the shortened names– it seemed that nicknames were particularly rampant in Balamb. Now that he thought of it, Etta often used shorter names, too. In fact, she was known to say 'Ev' and even 'Gell' on occasion. Mabel and Keagan didn't have that tendency, but then, they weren't orginally from Balamb. They had both lived in Timber for most of their lives, but had relocated to Balamb to get away from the messy Galbadian invasion. Nicknames had to be a Balamb thing, Paul concluded. He was scientific like that.

Zell tugged at his dad's shirt, trying to convince him to find a home for Levi.

"I don't know if your ma has anything like a fishbowl. We should wait til she gets back."

The wait wasn't long– the door opened and Etta and Mabel hurried through with Dylan and Kassidy in tow.

"Sorry, sorry! The crowds were insane!" Mabel apologized to Paul.

"But how did you get inside?" Etta puzzled, brow furrowing.

"That'd be my doing," Evan interjected, pushing himself up from in front of the kitchen cabinet he'd been trying to find a bowl for Levi in.

"Evan! I thought you had to work all day?" Etta inquired, wondering what brought him home so early.

"I got lucky. The boss let us all off early for good behavior." Evan winked. Paul rolled his eyes at the exchange like any typical 15-year-old would have.

"C'mon, let's go find you a fishbowl," Paul said to Zell. Anything to get away from the sappiness. They were adults, for goodness sakes. It was just _weird. _Gella followed Paul and Zell into the kitchen, leaving behind not only a proud Mabel beaming at how good Paul was at looking after the little ones, but also Dylan and Kassidy who were completely oblivious to the conversations of the adults. Zell eyed up the small cabinets that flanked the stove, wondering if they held anything he could use as a fishbowl. He supposed there was only one way to find out.

Paul cringed as something glass crashed down out of the cabinet Zell was rummaging through and shattered on the hard tile floor.

"Oops," was all Zell had to say. Etta had quite a bit more than that to say, mostly about the danger of being cut by a shard of glass that everyone except her faced by wearing sandals. The lecture was followed by a short but rather loud monologue on the value of wearing clogs meant for the benefit everyone waiting in the other room while she swept up the broken glass. Finally, they were all able to set out together to the Selebraise attractions located around the perimeter of the town.

As the group neared Balamb's fuel and car rental station, they encountered Keagan just coming through the town's entrance gates. He looked weary and just a little impatient, but he grinned broadly when he caught sight of Mabel and the children nonetheless.

"Keagan!" Mabel exclaimed. "I thought you'd miss the entire day, but you made it after all." She grinned back at him with a fresh cheer that had been missing earlier in the day.

"I just get in the gates, and I'm going right back through them already," Keagan noted good-naturedly.

The first thing they spotted upon exiting the town was a carousel with all sorts of carved monsters to ride. Zell glanced slyly at Gella.

"Last one there's a Bite Bug!" he challenged. Gella and Zell raced to the carousel and were gasping for breath by the time they reached it.

"I win!" Gella proclaimed, tagging the swirled feathers of a chocobo.

"No fair!" Zell whined, but Gella only giggled in response. Not to be outdone, Zell hopped up onto the carousel and dashed off to find the coolest monster. He was rewarded a few minutes later when his search brought him to the side of a beast painted white with a wicked looking horn. Zell noticed the metal nameplate attached to the upraised hoof of the creature. MESMERIZE, it informed him.

"Memorize?" he tried to pronounce. Oh well, it didn't matter because he'd found the coolest one– a fact which he spared no time in shouting gleefully to Gella. She made her way to where Zell was already climbing atop the Mesmerize, but just giggled again and agreed with him. Cheerfully enough, she settled onto the seat of the creature next to the Mesmerize. FUNGUAR, the nameplate dubbed. Both children shrieked with surprise and excitement as the elaborate carousel jolted to a start. Etta smiled to herself at the sight, but silently wondered what kind of world they lived in, that children and monsters could cross paths so freely. The thought lingered in her mind as the sky turned grey and the sun bowed and slid below the horizon– monsters tended to be more active (and more apt to travel in packs) at night. Etta couldn't help wondering how Grand Z Entertainment, as the workers' outfits advertized, was keeping the monsters away. They had probably asked any soldiers or bodyguards to do a large-scale sweep and defeat as many monsters as possible before the celebration. Hopefully, they were all professionals that knew what they were doing. In any case, no monsters interrupted the ride, and Zell and Gella skipped over to where the adults were as soon as it was finished.

"What next?" Evan asked, surveying the whirling, twirling rides extending in all directions and trying to find one suitable for the young children. Despite his weariness, Keagan was the first to spot a promising looking ride and to lead the group in that direction. It seemed to be one of the few rides at Selebraise that didn't involve insane heights or dizzying rotations. In fact, it was much the opposite. A line of Caterchipiller-cars bumbled around a sloping track– perfect for Gella and Zell. They weren't actually convinced of this, and Zell was starting to eye up a ride called "Death Claw", so the adults took matters into their own hands and bundled Gella and Zell off to the entrance gate. As the attendant helped Gella and Zell into the third from last car, Zell confessed something to Gella.

"Catchiplers scare me more 'n Death Claw." Gella was perplexed. Death Claws were, well, _Death_ Claws. How could they possibly be less frightening than what Gella thought was pretty much just an overgrown caterpillar. Caterpillars were cute; they were all fuzzy and silly, and they turned into butterflies. Gella briefly wondered if Caterchipillers turned into huge butterflies. She'd kind of like to see that. But maybe they just turned into huge monsters, a thought that made her shudder. The ride jolted into action, and the cars flew around the bumpy track, leaving no time for further thought or conversation. The next ride on the agenda was Chocobo Bumper Cars, a staple at all good festivals. Observing Zell, the "pilot" of butter-yellow car number 5, Etta leaned over and whispered in Evan's ear. "There's no way I'm teaching him how to drive."

After the bumper cars, the adults agreed that the kids had spent enough time on the rides, and the plan was to head back into town. However, on the way there, a large bonfire (and a group of pretty teenage girls) caught Paul's eye. It involved some sleeve-tugging, some sweet-talking and countless other shameless ploys, but Paul finally managed to convince his parents to let him stay for the bonfire. A mere seventy feet away from the bonfire, the Shyms agreed on a set of conditions after a lengthy discussion (far too lengthy for Paul, who kept stealing glances at a cute dishwater blonde). Paul was going to stay at the bonfire, but so were the rest of the Shyms. And the Dinchts were, too. Paul separated from his entourage as quickly as possible, leaving the rest of the group to find very cramped spots on one of the black benches that had been dragged out of the city and arranged a little ways back from the fire for the occasion. After practically climbing over countless rows of people filling both the benches and folding lawn-chairs the locals knew to bring, they found room next to a boy with blonde hair wearing casual clothes in a popular Timber style and a girl with hair that was a surprising shade of pink and, as about an inch-worth of dark brown roots testified, was clearly not her natural color. They were holding hands and looked quite involved in the task of gazing starrily into each other's eyes, but smiled and slid over on the bench to make room, nonetheless.

"I guess now would be a bad time to ask someone to get me a hot chocolate?" Mabel asked sheepishly. Despite being drained from mending the mistakes of untrained mountain climbers, Keagan got back to his feet.

"Anyone else want something while I'm up?" he asked. He'd posed the question only to his own little group, but the pink-haired girl looked on the verge of piping up with a request, so Keagan hastily broke off eye contact with her and began the lengthy process of disentangling himself from the crowd.

"Get me one too, please!" Etta called after him, "I'll give you the gil for it as soon as you come back." Keagan didn't hear Etta, so Evan got up.

"No problem, Et, I'll getcha one." Evan kissed the top of Etta's head, then hastened after Keagan. Zell stared at the fire, mesmerized, from his comfortable place on his ma's lap. From the fire pit, logs crackled their protest as flames vanquished them into hot chunks of wood and smoking piles of ash. It reminded him of the long, dark nights on the Centran plains and Matron, with her kindly ways, quick to stop fights, quell anger, and soothe ruffled feathers. But mostly, it reminded him of Squall, the only boy Zell had ever been close friends with. Zell sighed, then wriggled a bit, sinking lower on Etta's lap. He missed the gang at the Orphanage sometimes; though, gazing around him, Zell realized that he had the greatest friends and family ever right in Balamb.

"So," Mabel said to Etta conspiratorially, "I'm thinking about trying for another baby." Etta stared at her, eyes wide with shock.

"Geez, Mabs, it seems a little soon, doesn't it?"

"But they grow up so fast!" Mabel protested, gesturing toward Paul, who was across the bonfire talking to the girl he'd been eyeing up earlier. The girl laughed at his remark, and wrote something down on his hand with a thick marker, which she spirited back into her pocket as quickly as she'd produced it. "Kassidy was only just born months ago, though," Etta pointed out. "She hasn't even had her first birthday yet."

"You sound just like Keagan," Mabel complained. She wagged a finger at Etta. "You'll see, though. That little Zell of yours will be full grown in no time, and then you'll realize I was right all along."

"Well, maybe," Etta admitted. But she was willing to take her chances on that one.

* * *

Shaking his head, Keagan handed a man at the refreshments booth 300 gil. "Things always get pricey around Selebraise." Evan remarked from behind him.

"Take it from me," Keagan replied, nodding shortly, "When you've got four kids, things are _always_ pricey." As Evan grinned, his teeth gleamed with a faint orange glow from the firelight.

"I s'pose so," Evan said, stepping up to the counter of the food booth that had been temporarily constructed for Selebraise and ordering hot chocolate for both him and Etta. He idly wondered if there would be permanent booths built someday. At the present, there was only a makeshift hot chocolate stand, one that looked (and smelled) like it was serving some type of dinner, and one for more "adult" beverages, where a crowd swarmed around with the deluded notion that alcohol would fend off the autumn chill in the air. Fighting off the urge to go over and inform the patrons that drinking would only serve to constrict blood vessels and actually make them colder, Evan just shook his head instead and took a sip of the hot chocolate he'd just been handed.

"And Mabel wants _another_ kid."

Evan choked. "She was just pregnant!" he said, wondering about the Shyms' collective sanity-level.

"I know, I know..." Keagan sighed, drooping a little.

"Tough break, man," Evan remarked, clapping him on the back.

By the time the men returned with beverages, the children were nearly asleep, blinking with heavy-lidded eyes as the firelight made spotted patterns across their faces. They were just in time to hear Etta and Mabel converse about the occupations the children were certain to have when they were older. Listening in surprise to some of the options Mabel was suggesting for Gella, Evan had to remark "Are you sure she could be a nurse? She almost faints every time she skins her knees."

"Oh, it's just a phase, all kids go through it, I'm sure," she admonished. "Why, what are you thinking of for Zell?"

"I think he'll want to work down at the piers with me," he nodded, spreading out into the area the young couple had just vacated.

"Well, whatever profession he ends up in, I hope it's nothing as dangerous as working at the lunar base. I've heard there's a lot of people getting into that field now... I just hope my little Zelly  
isn't looking to the moon for any inspiration..." Etta remarked, taking a moment to gaze up at the cheesy celestial body she was speaking about. It wasn't obvious to the naked eye, but thousands of  
monsters roamed that moon, just waiting for an opportunity to fall and create havoc. She shuddered a little, thinking how she would never want to see her child so close to such vicious monsters, not if she could help it. Mistaking her movement for a shiver, Evan draped his sweater around her shoulders to help fend off any chills.

"You've got to admire those people, though," Keagen put in, looking contemplatively at the sky. "At least they're aspiring to something bigger than Balamb." Etta looked indignant, fussing about in her seat like a bird, and excessively adjusting the sweater around her  
shoulders.

"Bigger isn't always better," she said, nodding in affirmation of the cliché. Evan observed her nervously; she was starting to let her emotions get the best of her and to speak with her hands. Normally, this wouldn't be all too much of a concern, but Evan was finding her strong nationalism, hand motions while holding hot chocolate, and his favorite white cable-knit sweater in the line of fire to be a bad combination. Oh, this didn't look good. Now she was launching into a detailed explanation of what made Balamb superior to almost anyplace in the world, which was leading to more hand gestures, and oh the humanity, Evan had to step in before someone or his beloved sweater got hurt.

"To each their own, Et, hon," Evan fought Etta's clichés with his own, sneakily taking back his sweater. That was one sentiment everyone could agree with, at least, and the group fell silent for a moment.

"I still think Balamb is the best place in the world," Etta said, determined to get in the last word. However, that honor wasn't destined to be hers; a drowsy Zell managed to get in a satisfied "Me too," before closing his eyes and falling asleep.


End file.
